Out Of The Vortex: The Lurker
by Cameron-Sholto
Summary: EPISODE ONE. A Lovecraftian Horror is brought to life on the Faction Paradox colony of Ordifica. Something unspeakably evil is afoot in Cardiff. Can Torchwood, Three young Time Agents, the Doctor, and a scared pizza girl save the universe?
1. The Jack Returns

**Out Of The Vortex: THE LURKER**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood, Doctor Who, or the Lovecraftverse. I do own Mira Jamerson, Lucian Jamerson, Victor Norton, and David Smith._**

**_Susie Olivier is the original character of Anna Morris and is used with permission._**

**_Violet Conway is the original character of Mary Kate Daily and is used with permission._**

**_Sarah Jane Patterson is the original character of Sarah Harmon and is used with permission._**

**_Faith Harkness is conceptualized by Moriah Holt and is used with permission._**

**_Please do not sue me or them._**

**__**_The Lurker takes place in an AU where Miracle Day never happened.  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong><strong>The Jack Returns<strong>**

**April 10, 2011**

A black SUV, rather dented and generally the worse for wear, pulled up about 300 feet away from the rusted out old warehouse on the Cardiff docks before sputtering and dying.

"Son of a bitch!" bellowed a muffled female voice from the driver's side. A young woman leapt from the car, popping the trunk and peering through the smoke within with a look of obvious distaste. This was not what she had signed up for. She kicked the front left tire in frustration.

"Come on, god fucking damn it! You piece of shit! Come on! You're almost there." She sighed, stalking toward the door of the warehouse. She'd have to call a mechanic. again.

The inside of the warehouse was nothing like its dilapidated exterior. In fact, it resembled a run-down office building more than anything else. There were several hand-me-down desks that had definitely seen better days. One, near the front of the warehouse, housed an old laptop as well as three or four computer monitors that looked like they were dragged out of a dumpster In truth, they probably were. Gwen didn't ask where her technology officer had found them. She was just glad they had a system running at all. All were running the familiar Torchwood Operating System, though she had more than once kicked at the tower in frustration when the old pieces of shit had frozen up.

She sighed again. It was nothing like the old days.

Another desk by the far wall was covered in magazine clippings and paper dolls, and she smiled as she straightened up the mess, particulary when she noted that the one that looked like her had been dressed in a pretty pink evening dress.

"Come on, Faith," she murmured to herself. "I would never wear something like that." She pulled the dress off her doll and placed it on one that looked like Jack Harkness, snickering slightly. Yes. that was better.

The third desk, placed on what appears to have been an upper loading dock, had a single monitor and a large stack of file folders on it, rather messily placed. Gwen climbed up an old metal ladder to this last desk, sat down, and began to look through the folders.

More cases. Too many.

She sighed, wiping her eyes with one hand. It was going to be one of those days.

A door at the back of the warehouse opened with a creak, and she started, relaxing when she recognized the man entering as David Smith, technological genius.

Then she noticed that he was limping.

"David, are you ok?" she asked in concern, swinging down from her loft.

The dark-haired young man gasped in pain, his brown eyes bright in agony.

"Fine, boss," he hissed. "I'm fine. It's nothing."

Gwen smiled slightly at his bravado. They were always so brave.

"Rough night, I take it?"

He rolled his eyes as he eased into his desk chair.

"Yeah, I suppose you could put it that way. Hey, do we have any Weevil spray left?"

She frowns at this, finally noticing the blood pooling at his feet. She spun him around, glaring at him with concern.

"Liar. That doesn't look like nothing. Take off your pants."

He shot her a strange look of amusement and slight apprehension. Her eyes widened and she blushed softly as she realized what she had said.

_God, I sound like Jack._

She glared at him, shaking that thought from her mind.

"So I can look at your wound, you dolt. I need to see how bad it is."

He smiled, though she thought she saw a hint of disappointment in his dark eyes.

"Oh. Well then, sure."

"You don't have to sound so hurt. I'm a married woman, you know."

She treated the wound with bandages and alcohol, smiling compassionately as he winces at the contact.

"Lucky it wasn't too deep," she muttered, pulling the gauze tight about his thigh. "We're nearly out of just about everything."

She paused, frowning. "You say a Weevil did this? But we haven't had a sighting in months."

David hissed in discomfort as he stood. "Guess they decided it was time to reintroduce themselves."

He pulled his pants back on and eases himself back into his chair, turning to face the monitors. He typed for a few seconds, then stopped and stared at the image onscreen.

"What is it, David?"

"Looks like major rift activity nearby," he replied, pointing to a large red dot on his map. "We know the Weevils react to it. No wonder I got jumped."

Gwen stared at the map, sighing. Not another one.

"The real question is, what's causing it?"

David gestured at the dot, which was now moving westward towards their base. "Well, whatever it is, it's moving. That can't be good."

Gwen leaps into action, running for the door of the warehouse. Then she stops, turning back to David.

"Shit. I forgot. The SUV's gone autistic again. Keeps making that funny tapping noise. I guess I'll have to go on foot."

David nodded. "Be careful, Gwen! That's a bad part of town that is!"

Gwen nodded. "Just worry about tracking that thing. Whatever it is, I'll find it."

* * *

><p>About four blocks away after a good run, Gwen turned a corner to find herself face to face with a particularly confused-looking dog. She sighed, tapping into her com.<p>

"I think I found it. Looks like some sort of dog. Russian wolfhound, maybe?"

David sighed, his voice crackly on the radio. They really needed new equipment.

"Why would a dog be humming with rift residue?"

"I'm not sure. But it looks normal to me. Maybe the equipment's malfunctioning." She rolled her eyes. _Wouldn't be surprised._

"Has it done that before?" asked David. He was still pretty new to this whole thing. Gwen rolled her eyes.

"Oh, loads of times. I remember this one time, when Jack. . ."

She stopped and stared at the pavement. She didn't want to think about Jack right now.

"Never mind. What's important is that I don't think it's much of a threat. I'm coming in."

She turned around and began walking back towards the warehouse.

Behind her, something started shimmering around the dog, like a morning mist. It sprouted thick, leathery wings and its teeth seemed to elongate into fangs.

Gwen stopped as if she heard something, but shook it off. _Just a stupid dog._

Suddenly, the creature snarled and bounded towards her. She let out a cry of surprise as she pulled her gun, but it was already on top of her.

"Look out!" cried a familiar voice.

Captain Jack Harkness jumped from a fire escape overhead and wrestled the beast to the ground, breaking its neck.

It spewed a sort of glowing viscous fluid all over him. He stood up, dripping, shook the goo from his arms, and smiled dashingly at Gwen.

She gaped at him in shock and alarm.

"Jack?"

His grin widened as he helped her to her feet. "Turning your back on a rift creature, Gwen Cooper? I thought I'd trained you better."

She pulled her hand away from him, glaring at him in indignation. "Abandoning me for months without a word? I guess I'm not the only one who made some mistakes. What are you doing here?"

Jack stared at her in open surprise. "Hey, now! That's no way to greet the man who just saved your life."

"What the hell were you expecting? A parade? Look at me, Jack! Look me in the eye and tell me that you did the right thing by running away."

He turned away, unable to meet her gaze.

"I'm sorry, Gwen. I'm so sorry."

She sighed. No. He didn't get to be the victim here. She punched him square in the jaw, landing him against the alley wall.

"Sorry? Sorry doesn't cover what I've had to go through without you. With the baby, and Rhys, and then I had to rebuild Torchwood from the ground up without you. Work from scratch with nothing. No funding, no real plan. It's been hell, Jack. Do you understand that? My life has been hell."

She suddenly grabbed him and planted her head into his chest, sobbing. He gingerly wrapped his arms around her, afraid she would punch him again.

"You lied to me. You said you wouldn't leave again and then you did. We could have gotten through it together, Jack. We could have…"

He shushed her, his eyes brimming with tears of guilt.

"I know. I know, Gwen. I'm sorry."

She melted into his arms gently, letting him hold her close. Then she suddenly tensed.

"I. . . I can't do this."

She pulled away from him, her face soaked with tears and slime.

"I can't let you back in, Jack. Not after all this. It's too much. I can't trust you."

Jack stared at her, his face contorted with guilt and sorrow. He had already lost his team. He couldn't lose her too.

"Gwen. . ."

She glared at him one final time and took off towards the warehouse at a dead run.

"Gwen! GWEN!"

He sighed and watched her go.

As she vanished from view, he looked down at his coat, picking at it gingerly with a look of disgust on his face.

"Well, I guess I should take a shower, shouldn't I? And get this thing drycleaned."

He stalked away in the opposite direction.


	2. Half a Hart to Destroy You

**Half A Hart To Destroy You  
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**Cardiff Warehouse, the morning after the last event.**

Gwen Cooper sighed, cracking her back as she walked in the front door. The beating she took the day before still ached, and the lack of sleep after seeing Jack wasn't making it any easier to deal with.

_I really need coffee,_ she thought. _Coffee will make everything better._

Well, everything except the sight greeting her when she walked inside the warehouse.

Jack Harkness was waiting for her. Well, waiting isn't exactly the correct term. More like rummaging through the files on her desk and chuckling quietly to himself.

She coughed angrily. He looked up, a slight smirk on his face.

"Oh. Hello."

Gwen pointed her gun at him. She was not having this today. Not before her coffee.

"What the hell are you doing here? Get out!"

He raised his hands in surrender. "Oh, come on, Gwen. I still work for Torchwood, so I can go anywhere I like. At least on paper, I'm –"

She eased the safely off her gun. "There is no paper, you bastard. It all got blown up, remember?"

"Yeah. Don't remind me."

He jumped down from the loft and looked around, smirking at her shabby recreation of the Hub.

"Nice office. I mean it. Little drab for my taste, of course, but it looks good. Functional."

Gwen smiled in spite of herself. "Apparently the security could use a little work."

Jack nodded slightly. "Oh. Your tech boy let me in."

As if on cue, David Smith entered from the bathroom, wiping his hands on his pants. He stopped at the door when he noticed Gwen glaring at him.

"What?" he asked, eyes wide at the scene in front of him.

Gwen gestured at Jack with the gun. He gulped.

"Did you let him in here?"

David nodded. "Yeah. I thought he was a friend of yours. Wait. Did I do something wrong?"

She sighed, lowering her gun and clicking the safely back on.

"No. It's all right. He can stay."

Jack beamed at her. She glared back.

"So is there a reason you dropped by, or are you just here to get in the way? Some of us are still trying to save the world."

Jack walked over to her methodically, placing a hand on her upper arm. She stared at it, but did not try to move it.

"Gwen. . . Look, Gwen, I'm sorry. Everything you said yesterday is true. It was true when you said it on that hilltop a year ago. I was running away. In a lot of ways, I still am. Running. But maybe, just maybe, I'm running towards something now."

She smirked. "Running your mouth, more like."

Jack grinned back at her. "There, see? That's the Gwen Cooper I remember. Sassy."

She playfully punched him on the arm, moving closer to him.

They were about to embrace when an alarm sounded from David's station.

"David, what's happening?" asked Gwen, the moment lost as she runs for the computer desk.

"I'm getting some really strange readings," he replied, tapping away at his keyboard. "I'm pretty sure it's not rift activity, but it's still playing monkeys with our equipment."

Jack frowned. He knew this modulation well, though it had been a while since he'd seen it.

"Time vortex. It's a vortex manipulator. Somebody's coming to say hi."

Gwen's eyes went wide. "John?"

He shook his head. "Not nearly flamboyant enough. You remember. He likes to make an entrance. No, someone's just using a –"

A blue vortex opened up on the far side of the warehouse. As they stared at it, weapons at the ready, a figure tumbled out, landing somewhat ungracefully in a crouch. As the light faded, they could see that it was a young woman with long black hair. She stares up at them, violet eyes switching from one person to the next like a hawk's.

"Where is Captain Jack Harkness?" she asked in a harsh voice ill-suited to her girlish frame.

Jack stepped forward, not lowering his gun. "Hello. What's your name–ahya!"

His greeting turned into a cry as she kicked his gun out of his hand and pressed a long, thick, curved knife to his throat.

Jack motioned for the others to lower their weapons, smiling knowingly at Gwen. Just like old times.

"Easy there, sweetheart. You could hurt someone with that."

"I intend to," she hissed back. Then she smirked and beheaded him with a single cut.

David lunged for the body, but Gwen held him back.

"David. It's ok. Trust me."

"But he. . . she. . . he's. . ." his face contorts in horror and disbelief.

Jack's eyes opened, and he looked around.

Spying his crumpled body nearby, he groaned in frustration.

"Aw, now that's just mean, lady! I mean, dying pretty much sucks every time, but beheading me? I just got this coat drycleaned, too!"

He looked at Gwen, smirking.

"What do you think? Reattach me or let me grow a new body? Personally, I'm in favor of putting me back together. Less time, less mess."

The would-be assassin stared at him, recoiling in shock. "What the. . . how. . . what the hell are you?"

Jack chuckled. "Don't you know? I'm the man who can't die! Seriously, there should be a brochure or something by now. At least a memo: Attention, anyone who wants to assassinate Jack Harkness, HE. CAN'T. BE. KILLED. STOP. TRYING. I mean, it's getting old. Fast."

As he continued ranting, Gwen restrained the girl and cuffed her to a water pipe against the left wall. Then she looked over at David, who was still freaking out by his desk. He stared at her in abject horror. She gestured to Jack.

"Well, go on, then. Give the man back his head."

He walks over and gingerly picked up Jack's head by the hair. Jack winced.

"Watch it, kid. I have a very sensitive scalp."

"Sorry!"

He delicately placed the head back on its proper resting place, then bolted for the bathroom, his face green.

Jack reached up and twisted his neck back into place, groaning in pain as his flesh laced back together.

"Well, that was … bracing."

He sauntered over to Mira and Gwen.

"It's not every day someone as pretty as you tries to kill me. You've got a vortex manipulator, so I'm guessing we go back. I'm rubbish with names though. What's yours again?"

She spat at him. "Why should I tell you?"

"Oh, come on. It's common courtesy. After all, you did just kill me. Least you can do, really."

She rolled her eyes, sighing. "Heather Mirabel Jamerson."

He thought for a moment. "Jamerson. . ."

Suddenly, his eyes flash in recognition. "No! Can't be! You're Lucian's little sister? Heh. Should have recognized those lovely violet eyes. How is old Luci anyways? Still running the old Transtemporal-Siberian Railroad?"

"He's dead," she replied curtly. "So is everyone else."

Jack's eyes widened in shock. "What? Everyone?"

She nodded gravely. "A rogue Time Agent took out Headquarters last month. Only five survivors, not counting him and you."

Jack looked at Gwen, as startled by this news as he is and infinitely more confused.

He sighed. "So that's why the Time Agency disbanded. I thought the whole thing was a little bit unusual."

He turned back to the girl. "I'm sorry about your brother, Agent Jamerson. I truly am. But what does this have to do with me? I haven't been in the Agency for years."

She rolled her eyes. She'd heard great things about Jack. There was no way he was this slow.

"I was sent after the rouge agent, along with my acting partner, Violet, whose real partner was away on vacation. We found him in Kyoto, where he nearly killed us both. But he stopped at the last minute. In exchange for our lives, I was to give you a message."

He stared at her. "Which was?"

"_Be careful, Lover. Something really big is coming your way. Something insanely big. Impossibly big. I hope you and your little team can handle it. I don't think anyone else in the universe can._"

As she finished the message, she teleported away. The handcuffs fell unopened to the floor.

Gwen and Jack looked at each other meaningfully.

"Was it. . .?" she asked.

"John Hart," he replied, sighing.


	3. Too Much Space, Not Enough Time

**Too Much Space, Not Enough Time  
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**New Dunwich, Ordifica: October 31, 2528**

A tall man in a long brown trenchcoat walked briskly through the Town Center of a decaying colony of humans nestled in the mountains near St. Augustine City, glancing about with a grin on his face that did not quite match with the look of despair in his eyes.

And he was right to despair, looking at this dilapidated village. Many of the homes were abandoned, as families had migrated to larger colonies in search of work and a better farms had fallen into ruin, and the very air seemed to hang with the decay and bitterness that came with dying traditions.

Still, it was clear to him that those who clung to their roots are proud of the little town, and did their best to preserve it even as it crumbled at their feet. Some of the houses have been painted recently, but this just makes the ones boarded up look that much sadder.

He sighed. At least he could expect a good party tonight. He was in sore need of entertainment.

Today was the day of the town's most important festival, an archaic Earth custom that was preserved in this one spot in the universe: All Hallow's Eve. While many avoided New Dunwich during this season on instinct rather than any logical reason, certain visitors (such as this particular person) were far too morbidly curious for their own good, so the town was alive with an an influx of strangers.

He strolled up to one of the abandoned buildings, peeking in the windows, his hands cupped to the dark opening where glass used to be.

The Doctor leaned back and sniffed at the air, his eyes scrunched up in concentration. He shook his head. Something didn't smell right. He turned around, and spying a local on the other side of the street, he waved to him.

"Hello!"

The man looked at him awkwardly, then slowly, methodically made his way across the deserted street. As the man approached, it became apparent that he was malformed, a twisted hulk of a man with pale blotchy skin and albino-red eyes. His shirt and jeans hung off him, treadbare and worn as the rest of the colony. He glared menacingly at the stranger, licking his lips slightly.

The Doctor ignored this menace. He was used to such a reception. He smiled warmly at the man. "I have a few questions, if you don't mind. See, I'm new in town. . . Though I suppose you already figured that out. Small community and all. Hah! I love small towns. Hall meetings. Dances. Dances during hall meetings."

The man's glare deepened, and the doctor's eyes trailed down to his deformed, goat-like legs.

"But I don't suppose you dance much, do you? A-ny-ways, as I was saying, I have a few questions. About the town. And tonight's festivities. See, I love a good party, and I heard that your town throws the best little party on All Hallow's Eve. Lots of strange stuff. And punch. You know, it's really not a party without punch."

The man looked increasingly uncomfortable.

"I guess ye herd wrong, feller," he drawled in an accent that was remarkably like Old Earth New England.

The Doctor sighed. "So no party then? It's just as well, I suppose. I need to watch my figure."

He gestured at his suit, which as always was hanging loosely from his body.

"But listen. Could you tell me why the air here smells so wrong? See, I've smelled a lot of smells in my day, but this is like nothing I've ever smelled before. . . Well, maybe once before. . . Well, a few times anyway. But not since the Faction Paradox left this colony alone more than. . . Hang on. What date is it?"

He looked at a newspaper lying in the gutter. He sighed, trying not to look alarmed.

"Oh. Well then. Heh. I guess I don't have any more questions. I'd love to stay and chat, but I really have to get going. Left my keys in the car, and my dog's at home and I forgot to feed him. Oh, and. . ."

The man leered at him, growling slightly. "Yer not goin' anywhere."

The Doctor took off in a dead sprint towards the crumbling old church, inside of which he had parked the TARDIS.

"But they were supposed to have been destroyed!" he muttered to himself as he ran. "They were supposed to have been wiped from the timeline. None of this makes any sense. Why here? Why now? What are they doing? I need to check the library. Never thought I'd actually need to use _Every Gallifreyan Child's Pop-Up Book of Nasty Creatures From Other Dimensions_. Another present that might actually come in handy."

As he pulled open the door of the church, wincing as the handle came off in his hands, he stopped short. The TARDIS was not where he left it.

"Oh, this is not good," he moaned.

He looked about quickly, feeling the area where the TARDIS was standing.

"Still a little residual energy here. That means they didn't take her off world. She's still here. Somewhere."

He pulled out the sonic screwdriver and began fiddling with it.

"One thing's for certain. If the Faction Paradox survived, I have to warn Jack. He's sitting right on top of the one thing in the universe that they want. There might still be enough energy to bounce a signal back to his vortex manipulator if I just. . ."

He began to record a message. When he finished, he pointed the sonic at the place the TARDIS had been.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I really hope that worked."

* * *

><p><strong>Torchwood Warehouse, Cardiff. May 11, 2011<strong>

Captain Jack Harkness sat the desk he shared with Gwen, his feet propped on the table.

Gwen was out with her infant son and her husband, Rhys, else she would not have stood for it. He sighed. She was _so_ Welsh.

Suddenly, his vortex manipulator started beeping.

He groaned. "I really need to change my number."

He pressed a button, and was startled to see the Doctor standing in front of him.

The projection smiled warmly at him. "Jack! Hey, it's good to see you. But I don't have time for pleasantries. Something big and bad an powerful is coming in your direction. I'm not sure how or when, but I know why. The Rift. You have got to protect the Rift at all costs. I wish I could help you, but I'm a bit stranded at the moment. I'm so sorry."

The message ended abruptly. Jack rolled his eyes, setting down his coffee cup.

"Well, there goes a lazy afternoon."

He leaned over the rail of the loft and called down to the lower level.

"Hey, David, Faith! I'm going out for a bit."


	4. Is This Your Card?

**Is This Your Card?  
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**Torchwood Warehouse: May 27, 2011**

Captain Jack Harkness, once again in charge of Torchwood 3, returned to the warehouse after a long night of tracking down alien threats.

Gwen was sitting on the edge of the computer desk, watching David work, her face ashen. She stood up abruptly when he walked in, glancing over at him with something akin to concern.

"Jack, you look like shit. Where have you been?"

He sighed melodramatically. "Well, first I was over in Splot dealing with a particularly nasty Weevil infestation. Then I was over by the hospital. Seems things are getting pretty dicey all over town."

Gwen nodded. "I know. We've been getting readings here that go way beyond anything we've seen since we. . ."

She paused, her eyes hollow.

Jack stared at her, his turn to be concerned.

"Since we what?"

She gulped. "Since we opened the rift. Since Abaddon."

Jack shuddered at the name. He glanced around, then noticed a huddled, shivering mass of humanity in the corner, wrapped in a blanket.

"Who's that?"

Gwen sighed, shaking her head in maternal pity. "Poor girl. I found her this morning, under attack from a Sirrian raiding party. They were going to take her ears."

Jack looked concerned, but less than amused. "So you brought her here? Gwen, that violates so many regulations. . .

Gwen's eyes blazed with anger. "In case you haven't noticed, we're doing just fine without regulations."

Jack gestured around in minor disgust. "Yeah. That's why our main employees are a fluffy Londoner and a little girl. I was wondering about that."

Gwen touched his arm, her eyes pleading with him.

"She's traumatized, Jack. Please, you can retcon her later."

Jack sighed. "Fine. But I'm not gonna babysit her. Let the geek do it."

"Asshole," retorted David.

Gwen is equally unamused by his name-calling. "Well, someone came back mean. What's bothering you, Jack?"

He waved her off. "Not now Gwen. Where's Faith? I need to ask her a few questions."

A young girl with long brown hair stepped out of the corner of the room, her hands clutching a small wooden box. She had been watching the entire time.

"I'm here."

Jack nearly jumped out of his skin. "Geez, kid! Why do you have to be so damn quiet all the time?"

Faith rolled her large brown eyes. "You wanted to talk with me. Here I am. What do you want?"

"I need to ask you. About that thing we've been hearing about. Can we go to my office?"

He motioned up the ladder. Faith nodded slightly and they climbed to the desk. He offered her the chair, lurking by the edge of the desk with his hands on it, blocking the view from below.

"So, what can you tell me?"

Faith thought for a moment, closing her eyes. She opened the box and pulled out her deck of tarot cards. She shuffled them slightly and began to draw cards.

The first card to be removed was the JUSTICE card with an image of Gwen on it.

"Something is dangerously out of balance…," she mused.

Jack stared at her. "What is? Is there anything we can do about it?"

She stroked the deck, extracting another card.

The second card was The DEVIL card.

Faith inhaled sharply seeing the character on the card…Gray.

Jack's eyes widened. He had not seen this card before, and the image of his brother sent shivers down his spine.

"Yes," replied Faith, "but only by letting go of something holding you down…"

Jack laughed slightly at this. "Holding me down? Heh. Nothing can tie Captain Jack Harkness down! I'm a man of adventure!"

She looked at him sharply. "The cards don't lie…"

He sighed, waving his hand in dismissal. "Yeah, yeah. I know. There's still something tying me down. But I don't have that much more to lose. What does the universe want from me?"

Faith didn't answer. She pulled the last card. It was the Knight of Sonic Screwdrivers, the Master.

"The threat before us is impulsive, but cruel and destructive…."

She peered into the corner of the card and freezes, staring at it, ashen.

"T-That w-wasn't there before!"

Jack leans over her. He has never seen her this upset.

"What? What is it?"

In the corner of the card was an image of unspeakable evil and twisted cruelty, a mass of tentacles and slime.

Faith rocks gently. "The enemy…it is a Sirrian…"

Jack frowned. That made no sense.

"But Gwen just fought an army of them. It can't be just a Sirrian. What. Is. It.?"

Faith was openly shaking. She opened her mouth but shut it quickly. She was looking all over the place with wide, terror-filled eyes, her deck forgotten. She started biting on her sleeve.

"What's wrong? What's going on, Faith? Tell me."

She shook her head, refusing to speak. She looked beyond frightened. Something was very, very wrong.

Jack puts a hand on her shoulder, his eyes swimming with worry.

"Faith! You have to say. What does that symbol mean? What is coming?"

She leapt out of the chair, shaking so bad that she almost fell to the ground. Jack's shouting wasn't helping at all.

"Jack," called Gwen from below, "What's going on up there?"

He leaned over the side, eyes dark with intensity she had only seen a few times before. "Nothing, Gwen! Stay where you are."

Jack wrapped his arms tightly around the frightened little girl, still careful not to crush her. He rocked her back and forth, shushing into her head.

"It's alright. Everything will be all right. You're safe. I've got you. Nothing's gonna hurt you."

Tears began to appear at the edges of Faith's eyes. She bit hard on her sleeve cuff and then finally spoke, her voice frail and shaky.

"I wish that were true, Jack. I really do."

She looked him in the eyes, releasing the sleeve she had marred by her teeth.

He shot her a compassionate, questioning look as she continued.

"Jack…what is coming…It is a horror unlike any the world has ever seen."

He sighed. "So I've gathered."

He suddenly smirked at her. "You know, I've known you for more than a century, and I honestly don't think I've ever seen you scared before."

Faith blushed slightly.

"And I hope it will be the only time," she muttered.


	5. Something Foul

**May 31, 2011: Torchwood Warehouse, Cardiff**

Captain Jack Harkness was restless. He could feel that something big was about to land in their laps, and that couldn't be a good thing.

His hands were tied. Torchwood was crippled and unprepared. Most of the team had yet to face a major incident, and he knew in his soul that most of them wouldn't survive the growing storm. He paced back and forth across the warehouse floor, face scrunched with worry.

Gwen stared at Jack, her eyes wide with concern. She had only seen him like this once before, right after the death of Ianto Jones. She started to put a hand on his shoulder, but stopped herself. Maybe that wasn't the best idea, given his mood.

"Jack?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly.

He stopped pacing and stared at her for a few moments before turning away. It was obvious that he didn't want to talk.

After a while, he sighed, turning back to her. "Call everyone together, Gwen. We have to do what we can."

As she called over the rest of the Torchwood team, Jack resumed pacing. The situation seemed hopeless. How could they fight something when they didn't even know what it was?

Gwen smiled sadly at the two recruits. "Alright, everyone. Jack wants to see us all in his office."

She looked impatiently at David and Faith. They didn't budge. She coughed.

"Well, come on then. We don't have all day."

Faith looked up at her at last, as if roused from a daze. "Coming."

David muttered, clearly loath to leave his post even for a meeting.

Jack smiled gently at Faith as she walked into the office. He offered her a chair.

"Ah, Faith. How are you holding up?"

Faith shrugged. She was in more control of herself then when she discovered just what they would be fighting, but was still worried. She took the offered seat.

"I'm fine."

Jack frowned at her. She was lying. Not that he really blamed her for it.

_We will all be tested before this is over._

* * *

><p>Back in the main room, David rose abruptly from his desk, his eyes wide in horror and dismay.<p>

Gwen stared at him. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"I. . .I. . ."

He began to sob like a little child, falling to the floor and curling in the fetal position. Gwen put a hand on his shoulder, but he smacked it away.

"Don't touch me! Don't touch me! Get away!"

Gwen's eyes widened. Psychotic breaks were all too common in their line of work, but she never expected it from the cool, collected techie.

"It's alright, David. Calm down. Look at me. Please? You're safe here."

David looked up suddenly, his eyes gaining an unhealthy fixation on hers. She could see that he had indeed been crying. However, in the place of tears, his cheeks and lower eyelids were stained with blood.

"No one is safe. Nowhere is safe. _H'ee-l'geb f'ai trhodog uaaaah!_"

She catches him as he keels over, unconscious.

"Shit," muttered Gwen. This was no psychotic break. "Jack! Faith! Come quick!"

Jack bounded out of the office. "What's going o. . ."

He stopped short as he saw David, his eyes wide in shock. "What the hell?"

Faith jumped from her chair and dashed out of the office. When she arrived at Gwen's side she was stunned, but not surprised by what she saw as Jack had been. She ran to grab the first aid kit in the desk.

Jack turned to his oldest living associate. "Gwen! What happened?"

She gasped, trying to hold back tears. "I'm not sure. He was sitting at his desk. I called him to come to the meeting, and he had some sort of attack."

Jack walked over to David's desk while Gwen was still speaking. He pointed at the central monitor.

"Or he was attacked. What do you make of this, Gwen?"

She looked at the screen, no, at all the screens. There was a strange archaic writing flashing on all of them. It looked like some cross between Arabic and Sumerian. In the center, she saw, plain as day, the last string of words David spoke before he collapsed.

Gwen gasped. "Oh my God."

Jack frowned, his eyes hard. "I think it's safe to say that we should shut down the system for now. Whatever it is, it can hack into our network."

He went to shut down the computer. As he touched the power button, an electric shock blasted him across the room.

"Jack!" bellowed Gwen, running to him.

Faith held her back. "He's alright, Gwen."

She sighed. "I know. I know. Just. . ."

Faith nodded turning her attention to David, who was still unconscious. She checked his pulse. Fortunately it was still there…albeit faint. After confirming that his heart was still going, she began to gently wipe the blood from his eyes.

Gwen took one last look at Jack before turning her attention to the computer once more. The strange writing was gone, replaced with CCTV captures and data. Normal stuff.

She pressed the power button cautiously, and found that the computer turned off easily this time.

Jack stood up and dusted himself off. He stared at Gwen, then at Faith and David.

"I'm going for a walk," he stated mechanically.

Gwen stared at him in shock. "What? Now? You just resurrected."

He stared back at her, smiling warmly. "You can take care of things here. I have to go look into something. I'll be back."

She nodded. It was hardly unlike him to need his space.

He walked out of the warehouse door, coat flapping behind him.

Faith continued to wipe the blood from David's cheeks. She sighs, musing. Then she looks at Gwen.

"Those symbols. You have seen them before, haven't you?"

Gwen looked at her, confused. "I don't think so. I've seen things like them, you know. In the history books. But this . . . this all seems rather. . ."

She stared down at David, who had begun convulsing. She chokes back tears again. Not another one. She wasn't going to lose another one.

"Of all the timers for us to be missing a medic. . . do you know what's wrong with him, by any chance?"

Faith shook her head. "No I don't, b-"

She stopped as something came to memory. She jumped up, eyes wide.

"Jack didn't say were he was going, right?"

Gwen stared at her. "No, no he. . ."

Realization hit her and she grabbed her coat.

"We'd better find him. He wanders off all the time, but you're right. Something doesn't feel right here. Put David in a cell so he'll be safe, and let's go."

Faith nodded and slung David's arm over her shoulders, dragging the man to the holding cells, which were just glorified cages. She opened one and put him inside, then dashed out of the cell, locking it on her way out.

She grabbed her own coat and ran over to Gwen, being sure to slip her cards into her pocket.

Gwen smiled warmly at the young operative.

_Not that young_, she reminded herself. It was so hard not to think of Faith as, well, twelve.

" Good work," she said, patting the girl gently on the back."Now, Cardiff's a big city, as you know. If we're gonna get Jack back, we'll need to go to my apartment and get my GPS."

She smirked as Faith stared at her in confusion.

"I installed a tracking chip on him while he was sleeping a few days ago. Can't have him abandoning us again."

Faith held back a laugh. She was beginning to wonder when Gwen was going to do something like that.

"Alright," she replied, brown eyes sparkling in mirth and determination. "Let's go."

* * *

><p><strong>A few minutes later: Gwen's Flat, Cardiff<strong>

Gwen and Faith entered the apartment through the front door, as is customary. As they entered, Gwen abruptly stopped short. Something was wrong. It seemed too quiet. She checked the kitchen table.

"No note. It's Rhys' day off. He should be here. Rhys? Honey?"

There was no reply. Gwen looked about nervously. Faith was also a bit uneasy.

" Were's Anwen?" the girl asked cautiously. "It's not her nap time…is it?"

Gwen's eyes widened in terror at the mention of her infant daughter. "No. No no no. She should be here. Rhys should be here. No messages on the phone, nothing."

She paused, staring at Faith. "Do you smell that?"

Faith sniffed the air. Suddenly her face paled. The smell is faint, but distinct. Sunshine mixed with night-blooming jasmine.

Gwen looked at Faith in alarm. "I know that smell. Where do I know it from?"

She continued to search the apartment, stopping short as she sensed a draft. The bedroom window was broken outward. There was glass all over the sidewalk, glass that wasn't there when the pair walked to the apartment.

She bent down and stared at the remaining shards. Something was caught on one of them. A torn strip of red.

"Rhys' jacket. I'm sure of it." She stared at the girl in horror. "Someone has taken my family."

Faith nodded. "We better get that GPS. The sooner we find Jack, the sooner we can find Rhys and Anwen."

Gwen caught her by the arm. "You think Jack's mixed up in all this?"

Faith nodded again. "John too. . . maybe. . ."

Gwen shook her head. "I know Jack's no fan of Rhys, but he would never harm him. He's had plenty of chances in the past. Still, you're right. If we can find Jack, he might be able to help us look for Rhys."

Faith smiled gently. "You misunderstood me. I don't think that Jack took your family… though he might know who did."

"Agreed."

Gwen grabbed the GPS off of her bedside table. "Let's go."

* * *

><p><strong>Torchwood Warehouse, Cardiff<strong>

As they arrived back at the warehouse, Gwen tapped the GPS in disgust.

"Piece of shit. This can't be right. Why would the GPS lead us back here?"

Faith shrugged. "Jack, where are you?"

As Gwen continued to follow the GPS, she suddenly stumbled across Jack, crouching next to an open cell. It is the one they left David in.

He stares at her in confusion. "Gwen? What's going on here?"

"I'd like to ask you the same thing. Where's David?"

Jack frowned. "Wasn't he with you?"

Faith's eyes widened as she looked at the open cell. "I shut and locked that door when we left."

Jack sighed. "It was like this when I got back."

He looked at Gwen with concern. "What happened, Gwen?"

She couldn't hold back her tears any longer. "Someone was at my apartment, Jack!" she sobbed. "They took Rhys and Anwen."

Jack pulled her close, breathing in the scent of her hair. "We'll find them, Gwen. Rhys and Anwen and David. We'll get them back. I promise."

He stared over her shoulder at the GPS in her hand, frowning. She didn't notice.

Faith walked over to the open cell, passing Jack and Gwen. She knelt down and studied the door. There were no signs of force being applied to it.

"Someone opened the door for him," she muttered. "Or something."

She looked back up at Jack and Gwen.

Gwen stared at the girl. "Do you think it was the same thing who took my family?"

Jack frowned again and turned to go back to the main section of the warehouse.

Gwen's voice stopped him short. "And where are you going, then?"

Jack sighed. So she still didn't trust him.

"I'm going to restart the computer. See if there's any rift activity that might explain this. Why don't you two go to the armory and arm yourselves? I have a feeling that, whatever's going on, we are gonna need firepower."

Faith nodded and stood, walking over to the armory. As they begin to collect weapons, she turned to Gwen.

"So, first David gets…possessed? And then vanishes from a locked cell that someone or something let him out from. Then Rhys and Anwen vanish….Something isn't adding up."

Gwen nodded solemnly. "I know what you mean. Whatever's going on here, it doesn't feel. . . well, normal. Even by Torchwood standards. Something strange is happening."

After selecting their guns, she and Faith returned to the main room. Jack had vanished again, but the computer was at least up and running.

As Gwen bent over to look at the monitor, she noticed a sheet of paper sitting in the printer dock. She pulled it out, her eyes widening.

" Faith? Take a look at this."

Faith peered over at the text on the page. There seemed to be nothing on the page at first. Slowly, a rust colored stain spread across the page. In big, dripping letters, the word RUN appeared.

Gwen screamed and dropped the paper on the floor. The red stain seeped out of it and began to pool on the floor.

"Go! Get out of here! Run, Faith!"

Faith looked at her for a moment in astonishment, then nodded and took off for the exit. The door was slow to open.

After several tense seconds, the door opened wide enough for her to slip though, and she dashed out into the hallway beyond.

As Faith escaped out the door, Gwen ran into the office. She sniffed the air. There it was again. Sunshine and night blooming jasmine. She shook her head, grabbed her laptop, and followed Faith.

* * *

><p><strong>Jubilee Pizza, Cardiff<strong>

Faith and Gwen regrouped at the Pizzeria, sitting at one of the few tables there.

"I'm starting to get the feeling that David was right," muttered Gwen, wiping her eyes tiredly. "We really aren't safe anywhere."

Faith nodded, still slightly out of breath from her sprint. "Did Jack follow us? And how are we going to find David?"

Gwen sighed. "I have no idea. I didn't see him when I went to the office. Just that smell again."

She rolled her eyes in frustration. "God, if we only knew where to look, things would be so much easier! Why is everyone vanishing?"

The young man behind the register suddenly stopped wiping the counter and stared at them, his grey-green eyes wide.

"Dead but dreaming dead but dreaming dead but dreaming. . ." he muttered over and over, his lips barely moving.

They looked at the man in confusion.

"What?" asked Faith warily. She looked down at the table for a moment. "Dead but Dreaming. I've heard that somewhere…"

She pulled out her cards. Gwen glared at her.

"Is this really the time for tarot?"

Faith rolled her eyes. "Is this really the time to ask me that?" She began to draw cards.

The Pizza Guy fell to the floor, convulsing and foaming at the mouth. His eyes rolled back and seemed to be bulging out of his head. The other patrons scattered, screaming.

"Faith, hurry up!" shouted Gwen.

"Dammit!" cried Faith. She pulled a card from the deck. It was the _Wheel of Fortune_ with the image of the Rift on it.

"This event has happened by chance. We must go forward. There is no going back. This will determine who we are."

Faith quickly drew another card. It was the _Lovers_ with the image of a blonde woman and a brown haired man.

"Trust your instincts. We are not alone."

She pulled a final card, panting. It was _Judgement_, featuring a metal dog.

"All ghosts of the past must leave. We must follow logic. That is how we will win."

Gwen stares at her dubiously. "Logic? Against something like this? I don't know how in hell we'll manage that."

The Pizza Guy convulsed one last time before lying still, finally. Gwen checked his pulse.

"Shit. He's dead."

Faith bowed her head and prayed for the man's soul.

Gwen placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. They had both seen too much death.

"We need to figure this out, Faith. The sooner the better. Whatever's happening here is something I've never seen before. We need Jack."

She turned on the GPS. It flickered, but nothing shows up. She smacked it. Still nothing.

"What's this? Fuck! I'm not getting a signal. Where the hell is he?"

Faith rolled her eyes. "He must have figured out that he was chipped."

She thought for a moment. "Wait a minute. Can the GPS detect him if he uses his Vortex Manipulator?"

Gwen sighs, feeling incredibly stupid. "Of course! He's probably using it to jam our readings. Wherever he is, he really doesn't want us to find him."

She smiled sadly at Faith. "Whatever's going on, we really are alone."

Faith glared at Gwen slightly. "I'm gonna tell you what I told Jack. The. Cards. Don't. Lie."

Gwen wavered under the glare of the immortal girl. It was the same look Jack has given her in the past: a look which said "You are too young to understand, so just trust me." She sighed.

"Ok. If you think help is coming, help is coming. I guess we'll just have to stay alive in the meantime."

Faith nodded at the older woman. "So what's our next move?"

"Well, my flat's been broken into, the Warehouse isn't safe, and there's a dead man on the floor in here. I don't know if there's anywhere else we can go. So we should probably collect as many weapons as possible and meet back here in an hour."

Faith nodded curtly. "Ok. How should I get in contact with you?"

"Don't worry about that. Use your communicator. I'll see you in an hour."

She left and headed for one of Torchwood's many gun caches.


	6. The New Dunwich Horror

**The New Dunwich Horror**

* * *

><p><strong>Wells Time Academy, London Campus: October 31, 5095<strong>

General Victor Norton was seated at the head of a large seminar table in what was once a well-furnished classroom. The recent collapse of the Time Agency had left the academy deserted. No one had been in this room, let alone this building, for quite a while.

As the surviving members of the Time Agency gathered in the room, he rose to greet them.

"Ah, yes. Do make yourselves comfortable."

He cleared two seats of dust and smiled warmly, gesturing for them to sit.

"I'm sorry that the accommodations are substandard. I trust that you will forgive me. After all, we are fortunate to have a place to meet at all after what that lunatic Hart did to our facilities."

The younger of the women, a willowy girl with black hair, coughed, drawing the General's attention.

"Begging your pardon, sir, but could you get on with it? We're a bit busy at the moment."

The General shot her a warning look.

"Agent Jamerson. When I placed you in charge of this task force, it was out of memory of your beloved brother rather than through your own talents. Mind you don't make me change my mind."

She stiffened, her violet eyes glowing with anger. "Sir."

She sat down and folded her arms, looking at him expectantly.

The General sighed like a disappointed father.

"Now, can any of you tell me exactly what you three are up to? I sent you to capture the rogue Time Agents Hart and Harkness. You have done neither. Rather, you seem to have been joyriding through the universe on Agent Jamerson's spaceship on my money. You practically ignored Hart in Japan, and now I hear that you are actually assisting him and Harkness? What could possibly make you think I would be ok with that?"

The other agent, a petite girl with flaming red hair, leapt to her feet with a look of disbelief at such an accusation

"Sir!" she cried in her angry Irish brogue, "what makes you think that we are assisting that low life Hart?"

The General snorted, amused.

"Agent Conway. You do know that your Vortex Manipulator has a two-way radio in it, don't you? I heard every word."

He played back the meeting in Japan with Hart.

"Oh, and here's my favorite part."

_Hart's voice was clear, persistent, desperate. "Please. You have to get to Jack. Something terrible is going to happen. Big bad end of the world type stuff. You have to stop it. If you do, I'll come back with you. No fight. No problems. Please."_

_Mira Jamerson sighed. Alright. What do we need to do?"_

Norton stopped the recording.

"No more lying now. What on earth were you thinking?"

Mira glared at him, her arms crossed. "I think the tape speaks for itself, General. We are not helping that ugly fuck of an outlaw. Why would we? He took everything from us. But if there's even a chance that what he said was true, we have a duty to make sure the world doesn't end in 2011."

Violet was still fuming about being accused of helping Hart. "Sir, Agent Jamerson is right. What if it is true? We can't take chances, just because he is a low life, that is completely crazy as well. He could very well be telling the truth. We need to do this. Why do more people need to die?"

He smiled darkly at her.

"If you're wrong, Agent Conway, you've just doomed us all."

He slid each of them a folder.

"In case you've forgotten, this is your assignment. I want those agents captured. Do what you have to do, but finish your mission. You are dismissed."

He exited the room, leaving the agents alone.

Mira smiled grimly at Violet.

"Well, that went well, I think. So, what's our next move? Do you think we should go back to Cardiff, or regroup at my spaceship? Either way works for me. But whatever we do, we need to do it quickly."

Violet smiled at her old friend. "Let's regroup at your spaceship. You know, the one that we are apparently "joyriding" in."

Mira laughed.

As the Duo attempted to use their Vortex Manipulators to teleport back to the ship, they found themselves thrown into an unfamiliar vortex. They landed in a strange, seemingly abandoned mountain town.

* * *

><p><strong>New Dunwich, Ordifica: October 31, 2528<strong>

Mira and Violet found themselves thrown at the feet of a strange man in a long brown trenchcoat, who eyed them with suspicion and barely-concealed glee.

"Oh, splendid! Did Jack send you? I knew he would send someone! Good o'l Jack!"

Mira glares at the stranger. "Who the hell are you? And where are we?"

Violet stared at him, wide eyed. "Yeah, who are you? And how do you know Jack?"

The man beamed at them. "I'm the Doctor! And you are in the sleepy hamlet of New Dunwich, Ordifica. From the looks of things, though, I'd say this is all ancient history for you. 51st century, am I right?"

He helped Violet to her feet. " Jack and I go way back. Used to travel together. And who I am, besides The Doctor? I'm the man who's going to save the universe."

Mira coughed, standing and dusting herself off. "You don't look like much to me. And if you're going to save the universe, why do you need Jack's help?"

Violet stared at the man incredulously. "You are going to save the universe?" She whispered into Mira's ear: "Is he being serious?"

He shrugged at Violet. "It is sort of what I do. But I've got a bit of a problem. See, the locals here aren't very friendly, and, well, they stole my big blue box. Can't save anyone without it. Not even myself. We need to find it and get it back. Well, find it at least. The getting it back is the easy part."

Violet stared at this obvious lunatic in front of her. "A big blue box? What does that have to do with getting off this rock?"

Mira hissed. "Hey, watch it. This is my home colony. Well. . . not this part."

The Doctor smiled. "Clearly. You've a Welsh accent. New Cardiff?"

She nodded, smiling slightly.

The Doctor turned back to Violet. "As to what my box has to do with getting away from here. . . Oh, only everything. Now are you two going to help me or just ask me questions all day?"

He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and began to scan the walls.

Mira turned to Violet. "What the hell is he doing?" She sighed. "Guess we don't have a choice, do we? Let's help him look."

Violet nodded. "Should we search together or apart?"

"We'd better stay together. If what this Doctor fellow says is true, it's dangerous out there."

She turned to the Doctor. "Any idea where we should look?"

He nodded. "I might recommend the old Whateley farm north of town. If I remember my history right. . . but if Faction Paradox is responsible for this, she could be anywhere. I'll try to track her from here."

Violet sighed. She hated farms. "Ok, to the Old Whateley farm we go. I guess."

* * *

><p><strong>The Whateley Farm, Northern New Dunwich<strong>

The Time Agents soon arrived at the old farm. It was decayed, like the rest of the town, but the smell of corruption that hung in the air was worse there somehow. The stench alone threatened to strangle them as they approached cautiously.

Two men stood guard in front of a tool shed, armed with what looked like small arm cannons.

"I'll hazard a guess that it's in there," Mira whispered to Violet.

She drew her throwing knives and motioned to Violet to arm herself as well.

"We'll need to do this with as little noise as possible. Ready?"

Violet nodded in agreement and attached the silencer to her gun.

As the Time Agents rushed the tool shed, neither one of them noticed the dark figure standing behind them.

They took out the two guards with ease. It is only after Violet ran inside the shed that she noticed she was alone.

" Well, we found the blue box thing… I think… Uh, Mira? Where are you? Oh damn, this isn't good."

Suddenly, Violet's vortex manipulator started beeping. Still confused, she pushed the call button.

"Hello?"

A hologram of the Doctor appeared. He seemed frightened.

"How is it going over there? Have you found my box yet?"

"Oh! Doctor. Yes I am assuming it's your box. It says "Police Call Box," but it's big and blue. It's here in the storage shed at the farm. But I seem to have lost Mira. I am not sure what happened. I have some questions for you, so hurry over here."

He rolled his eyes. "There's no time for that. Get in the box and shut the door. Quickly now! I'll get to you when I can."

The transmission ended. Violet stepped in the TARDIS and bean to look around, mumbling.

"I will kill everyone involved in this and left me alo- oh wow! It's bigger on the inside then it is on the outside… ok . . . now what do I do?…

She started pressing buttons and heard a weird whirring noise. The box started to shake.

"Whoa, ok what just happened?"

The box stopped shaking suddenly. There wass a knock at the door.

"Miss Time Agent?" asked the Doctor. "Are you in there?"

Violet shudders. She was not pleased with how things were going. "Yes, I am here. What just happened? And do you know where Agent Jamerson is? What is this thing? Who are you excatly, or better yet WHAT are you? And what did these people want with this thing?"

He sighed. "Let me in and I'll explain everything on the way."

She pulled out her gun and opened the door.

"Ok, explain."

He stepped in, hands raised.

"Whoa, whoa. I'm not armed. Please, put down the gun. I didn't take your friend. I would never do that. I think Faction Paradox has her."

She put her gun down. He closed the door.

The Doctor smiled at her and pressed a few buttons at the control panel. "Thank you. Now let me try to answer you in order. I'm a Time Lord. Last of, actually. Well, mostly last. Well, there might be others. This "thing", as you put it is a TARDIS. She's my ticket to anywhere in the universe. Jack compared her to that abomination on your wrist, but she's so much more than that. I'm not sure why the people here wanted her, but I think they were just trying to strand me here. Anywhere. Why? Because I know how to stop them."

He grinned triumphantly.

"Now you're going to ask me who "they" are. "They" are Faction Paradox. Other travelers in space and time. But they are agents of chaos. They want to destroy the universe. Been trying for years. It's rather annoying, honestly. So does that answer your questions?"

Violet was only slightly impressed. "Yes, it does. Are you going to help find Mira then? I can't leave her here."

The Doctor sighed. "I understand. But we don't have a choice right now. If Faction Paradox has her, we need to foil their plan first. And that means. . ."

He threw open the door to reveal a rather dirty and rusted fishing warf. . .

"Cardiff!"


	7. Kiss of Darkness

**Kiss Of Darkness**

* * *

><p><strong>A Dark Alley, Cardiff: June 1, 2011<strong>

The Doctor and Violet Conway emerged from the TARDIS, stepping cautiously into the darkened alleyway. It could not be evening yet, but a shadow hung in the air. The Doctor looked about suspiciously, sniffing at the air.

_Something foul, dark and dank._

He turned back to Violet, his eyes flashing with a strange blend of worry and excitement. "We have to find Jack and his team quickly, Miss Time Agent," he said quietly, earnestly. "We may already be too late."

Violet stared at him in shock. "We are looking for Harkness and Torchwood? What do they have to do with anything?"

The Doctor shrugged. "No time to explain. Follow me."

They set off toward the former site of Torchwood.

* * *

><p><strong>Torchwood Warehouse, Cardiff<strong>

Gwen Cooper entered the Warehouse cautiously, a large particle gun at the ready. The mysterious stain seemed to have vanished, along with any trace of the mysterious happenings of the previous day.

"Hello?" she called cautiously. "Jack? David?"

There was no reply. She sighed.

"Guess I'll go see how Faith is holding up."

The aforementioned girl was sitting at her desk. It appeared as though she had been searching for something on the computer before her, but had fallen asleep on the desk.

Gwen snuck around her, trying her best not to wake her up. She wondered how the girl made it back before she did. Faith groaned, shifting her head in her arms, but did not awaken.

Gwen finally noticed that Faith's computer was still on. She went to shut it off, but stopped when she saw what was on the screen. It was a picture of the old team, back when they were happy and functional.

_Jack and Ianto were standing behind the conference table, their heads turned towards the other side, eyes widening in shock. Frozen in time, Gwen and Owen were bounding towards them, cans of silly string in each hand._

She could still hear their laughter. _Ianto. Tosh. Owen._ So many people had already been lost to this job. Now it was just her and Jack.

She frowned slightly. Why was Faith looking at this?

Faith shifted again, this time sitting up. Her hair fell in her face in a chocolate waterfall, but it was obvious she was awake.

"Jack?" she asked sleepily, brushing her hair behind her ears.

Gwen smiled gently at her. _Poor thing._

"No, it's me, Gwen. How are you feeling?"

Faith looked up wearily. Her eyes were bloodshot and tired, as if she didn't get much, if any sleep.

"Fine, I guess."

"Faith, don't lie to me. You look exhausted. And why were you looking. . . at. . .?"

She trailed off as she realized that the picture was no longer on Faith's screen. Instead, there was a web browser with compiled research open on the monitor. She shuddered in trepidation.

"Has that always been there?" she asked, hoping she didn't sound bonkers.

Faith looked at the screen. She nodded slightly, yawning.

"Yeah. That's what I was researching last night."

She shifted in her chair so she was sitting straighter.

"I was trying to figure out why the chant the man at the Pizzeria said was so familiar."

After deciding she must really be losing her mind, Gwen decided not to tell Faith about the picture.

She frowned slightly at the girl. "And did you find anything?"

Faith nodded again. "A little. But it's all mainly surrounded in myth."

"That sounds about right," called a bright tenor voice from behind them.

Gwen spun to face the sound, her gun drawn. The Doctor sauntered in, looking around at the warehouse setup.

"Gwen Cooper!" he crowed with manic elation. "You are a hard woman to find! You know, I never got to really visit your old locale. Spent some time on the outside. You know, gathering energy and all. But I have to say, I like this setup. Very roomy. You know, last time I was in Torchwood, they tried to arrest me. Well, they thought about it. Then there was a bit of an apocalypse, and — Hello! I don't think we've met. I'm the Doctor."

He shook Faith's hand. The girl stared at him in shock.

"A-ny-ways, do you know where Jack is?"

Gwen sighed, glaring at the man-who-was-not-a-man. They had met, albeit briefly, but most of what she knew about him she knew from Jack. "Why are you looking for Jack? We haven't been able to find him either."

He frowned suddenly, his eyes taking on a glint of danger.

"Well, that is problematic. Heh. Time Agents. Always wandering off and getting into trouble. Just had one with me, a young wisp of a girl. Can't seem to find her either."

Gwen grabbed his arm gently. "Focus, Doctor. Can you find him?"

"I should be able to use the sonic to track his Vortex Manipulator. But something really big or really powerful is blocking the signal."

Faith smiled slightly at this. "Sounds about right."

The Doctor studied Faith carefully. He had barely paid her any mind before, but on closer analysis. . .

"You're older than you look, aren't you?"

Her smile deepened. "As are you, Doctor. But that's not the real issue."

He grinned warmly at her. "Indeed."

He turned back to Gwen, the smile fading. "What are we going to do about Jack?"

She sighed. "And here I thought you might have the answer to that."

"Well, I have some theories. But we really have to find him before I can know if they're right or not. Gwen, you know him the best, I think. Any idea where he might be?"

She thought for a moment, nothing immediately springing to mind. Then she remembered the photograph she saw on Faith's laptop.

"Well, there is one place."

Faith looked up at the older woman in suprise.

"Where might that be?"

Gwen looked like she was about to speak, but the words kept choking her and won't leave her throat. She smiled sadly at the others instead.

"Follow me."

* * *

><p><strong>A Graveyard, Cardiff<strong>

Ianto's grave stood apart from many of the others, overshadowed by a large tree. His headstone was simple granite with an equally simple epitaph: _Ianto Jones, beloved brother, uncle, and friend: 1983-2009._

Gwen bowed her head in sorrow and reverence as they approached the gravesite. She did not want to be here, didn't want to remember what happened. And she knew that Jack would feel the same way, probably even worse.

Sure enough, kneeling at the gravesite was a dark figure in a long blue coat, facing away from the group. He didn't seem to notice their approach.

Faith did not falter in her steps towards the shrouded man. Even though graveyards gave her a horrible sense of loss and loneliness, she continued on, eyes bright with sorrow. But no tears. She never had any tears.

As Faith neared Jack, the Doctor rushed forward.

"Faith!" he cried. "Wait! Don't touch him!"

Jack turned around, his eyes blurred with tears.

"Doctor? Is that you?"

Gwen sighed in relief. "Thank God we found you, Jack! We've been searching everywhere –"

As she stepped toward him, the Doctor grabbed her arm.

"Listen to me. Don't touch him."

Gwen shook her head and continued to cross to Jack.

"Even though I still hate you a little bit for leaving, Jack, I understand. And I know Ianto understands too. It wasn't your fault, what happened. He would have followed you anywhere. I know . . . I would too."

Jack stood up and suddenly pulled her close, kissing her tightly on the lips. Gwen could feel his tears against her cheek. She struggled at first, but quickly gave in, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and returning the kiss passionately.

The Doctor looked on in horror. "Oh, this is bad. This is very, very bad. Faith, on the count of three, I want you to grab Jack's hand and run. Run as fast as you can."

The girl nodded, though she was confused.

"One. Two. Th—"

Gwen let go of Jack and took off towards the warf at top speed. He crumpled to the ground, completely unconscious. The Doctor looked at him for a moment, then at Faith.

"Ok, change of plans. I'll carry him. Allons-y!"

They headed towards the alley and the TARDIS

* * *

><p><strong>Jubilee Pizza: Cardiff<strong>

Sarah Jane Patterson, pizzeria waitress, was fortunate to be late for work on this day in particular. She got there just as everything was calming down. She asked what had happened, and was only told that Jim Davis had suffered a serious seizure. She thought this odd, but thought no more of it, as her boss told her they were closing for the day.

_Well, ok then… What now? I'm always working…_

She sat down at one of the outside tables, wondering how she would spend her day. A loud noise startled her, and she looked up, blue eyes flashing anxiously.

_No one's here. No one SHOULD be here…_

Gwen Cooper stumbled up to her, her eyes full of confusion. She stopped and stared at Sarah Jane.

"Have you seen Faith or Jack anywhere?"

Sarah jumped, turning to look at the dark-haired woman. She seemed near the point of collapse.

"Who? Oh my gosh, are you ok? I haven't seen anyone, boss closed up shop for the day after what happened… I liked that kid…"

Gwen smiled wearily at her.

"I'm fine. It's just been a long day. So you're closing. Do you want me to lend a hand?"

Sarah looked at her incredulously, but nodded.

"I'd appreciate it, everyone else left already… So who are Faith and Jack? Friends of yours?"

She started picking up plates, setting them on the counter. Then she moved on to the cups and other things. Gwen helped her carry the dishes to the back room.

"Friends?" Gwen smiled slightly at this. "Yes, I think that's the right word. Faith's a very special little girl I look out for. And Jack? Well, he's Jack. We work together. . ."

Gwen sort of drifted off mid-thought. Suddenly, she pivoted and smiled widely at Sarah Jane.

"If you can help me find them, I'll definitely introduce you."

They finish clearing tables and started turning chairs up on them.

Sarah Jane thought about it for a few minutes, busying her hands with work.

"You seem eager for me to meet them," she mused, "so they must be important…"

She beamed at the older woman. "Ok, since you've helped me, I'd be more than happy to help you. Let me just finish up… My boss can take care of the money if he hasn't already."

She cleaned off the last table, making sure the floor looked decent. She pulled the keys out of her pocket, and opened the front door for Gwen.

"I just realized, I don't know your name… I'm Sarah Jane." She held out her hand to her. Gwen returned the handshake firmly.

"Gwen Cooper. We should get going if we're going to have any hope of finding them before dark."

She gestured for Sarah Jane to exit the door first. She smiled, nodded, and walked out, her key ready to lock up.

"So, where's the last place you saw either of them? What do they look like? If they're regulars here, I may remember them… You seem familiar, too, now that I think about it."

She waited and locked the door after Gwen, stepping out from under the overhang to look at the sky.

"Gloomy… Ah, well."

Gwen smiled cryptically. "Gloomy indeed."

She pulled a pistol out of her coat and pistol-whipped Sarah Jane, knocking her unconscious.

"For humanity."


	8. Fifteen Miles

**Fifteen Miles**

* * *

><p><strong>A Dark Alley, Cardiff: Evening of June 1, 2010<strong>

After much huffing and puffing, the group finally made it to the TARDIS. The Doctor pulled Faith inside and closed the door, heaving Jack onto the floor.

Faith looked up at the ageless alien, panting desperately.

"Ok. So, now what?"

The Doctor grinned widely.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this."

He began to slap Jack across the face.

"Come on. Come on. Wake up, you useless -"

Jack moaned and grabbed his hand.

"You care to finish that sentence, Doctor?"

The Doctor lifted Jack off the floor and they embraced warmly.

"Anyone ever tell you you're heavy?" the Doctor wheezed.

Jack laughed heartily. "Come on, now. You know that's pure muscle."

The Doctor sighed, rolling his eyes. "Next time I have to carry you four kilometers, you'd better be dying."

Jack smirked at him. "No can do, Doc. You know that."

Suddenly, the Doctor stopped smiling and stared at Jack intently.

He frowned back. "What is it? What? Do I have something on my face?"

"Jack, what's the last thing you remember?"

He thought for a moment. "I was. . . I was turning the computer off, and. . . wait. What happened?"

Faith looked a little shocked but answered Jack's question.

"You were thrown against the wall by a blast from the computer. Then you left the Warehouse. And in all honesty, we haven't really seen you in a couple of hours. You kept leaving. We found you at Ianto's grave."

Jack started. "But that's impossible." He looked around anxiously. "Where's Gwen? I remember Gwen and. . . where is she?"

Faith looked at the Doctor, then back at Jack. "You kissed her… right over Ianto's grave. After that, we ran."

Jack turned a bit pink, then a bit green.

The Doctor shook his head, letting out a slight hiss. "It's safe to say that whatever was controlling you while you were blacked out is now controlling Gwen. When you kissed her –"

Jack turned on him, his eyes darting nervously. "That wasn't me! I was unconscious, remember?"

" — you must have passed it to her, like a parasite," the Doctor finished, smirking at Jack's embarrassment.

Faith reaches up and gripped Jack's arm. "No one is blaming you. Calm down."

Jack sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. "I'm fine. Do you know where she was headed?"

The Doctor nodded. "It looks like she took of towards the warf. But we should wait for the young Time Agent to get back before we go looking for her, I think. We need all the help we can get on this one."

Faith smiled warmly at the Doctor, letting go of Jack's arm. "Going back in time?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Not yet. It's too risky right now. But she might be able to help us rescue Gwen and the others."

Jack stared blankly at him. "The others?"

Faith's face dropped. "David."

She looked up at the Doctor. "Are there more than just him missing?"

The Doctor's eyes darkened. "From what she told me earlier, Gwen's family is also. . ."

Jack paled. "Rhys? Little Anwen?"

Faith blinked rapidly. She was furious at herself for forgetting about the little baby and Gwen's husband. She nods.

"Yesterday, after you left the first time, we went to her house," she explained carefully. "It was broken into and both were gone."

Jack stared into space for a long time. When he finally spoke, it was barely a whisper.

"Was it me?"

Faith stiffened and looked at the Doctor.

"Does the scent of Sunshine and Jasmine remind you of anything?"

Jack snorted. "Interesting way of describing it. Though I'm sure the Doctor could tell you all about it.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Fifty-first Century Hormones."

"Damn it!" exclaimed Jack. He kicked the TARDIS wall. The Doctor glared at him, somewhat traumatized.

"God fucking damn it! If I ever get my hands on that parasitic bastard who did this, I'll scatter him into molecules!"

Faith looked very startled. She knew she wasn't strong enough to slap him right then.

The Doctor, however, was more than strong enough. But he didn't need to slap Jack. He just glared.

"Jack. Calm down. It wasn't you. You know that. You'd never do anything to hurt Gwen. We'll get the people responsible. And we'll get them all back. I promise."

Jack eyed him warily. "Your voice is shaking, Doctor. You don't think we'll win this time. Do you?"

They stared at each other, eyes deep with pain, words passing silently between them. The Doctor was the first to lower his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I'm so, so sorry."

* * *

><p><strong>A Shack on the Harbor, Cardiff: Morning of June 2, 2011<strong>

Gwen Cooper, or rather the creature controlling her, dumped the unconscious Sarah Jane in a pile of netting. From the moaning around her, it was obvious that the other captives are beginning to come to. She lashed their arms together, tying Rhys to David, David to Sarah, and Sarah to Rhys. There was no sign of Anwen.

"The time is nearing completion," Gwen stated flatly. "I should tell the others."

She left the hut. After she was gone, David and Rhys began to struggle against their bonds.

"Where are we?" asked David, his dark eyes squinting in the dim light.

Rhys moaned softly, his head pounding. "I don't know. I was at home and then. . . Jack! Torchwood bastards must have put Gwen up to this!"

David glared at him. "Hey! I work for Torchwood. No way this was them."

"Then what is going on here?" demanded Rhys. "And where is my child?" He continued thrashing, bouncing the poor unconscious pizza girl about in the process.

David put a stopping hand on his arm. "Hey. Stop. I think she's waking up. Maybe she knows what's going on."

Sarah moaned softly, slowly opening her eyes. "Wha-who….Hey! What's going on?"

She struggled against the ropes, then realized there were others there.

"Who…who are you? Why am I here? What the hell did I do?" she cried, her eyes blazing in panic.

Rhys smiled gently at her. "We're prisoners, just like you. Not sure exactly why. It has to be some sort of joke. Doesn't it?"

David frowned darkly. "Something terrible is going to happen. Not just to us. To the whole planet. Maybe even the universe. I tried to figure it out. Next thing I know, I'm here."

He looked over his shoulder and smiled awkwardly at Sarah Jane. He was not particularly good with women.

"D-don't worry, though. I'm s-sure we can think of a w-way out."

Rhys scoffed. "Oh, that's comforting, Torchwood. Why don't you drool a bit to complete the picture?"

Sarah seemed to be comforted by his sincerity however, and smiled kindly back at him, flipping her long copper hair over her shoulder.

"Well… Wow, I never guessed I'd be spending my surprise day off here…like this. Anyways, I'm Sarah Jane… I just work in a pizza parlor. Why would I get tricked and knocked out for nothing?"

Moving around slightly, she was thankful for once for her small stature and flexible hands. She managed with some finagling to get loose, and started working on the men's hands as well.

"There…. Now, start talking. Who was that, and what in bloody hell is Torchwood?"

The men rubbed their wrists.

Rhys sighed. "I'll let the berk explain Torchwood. He knows more about it than I do. As far as I know, the person who brought you in here was my wife. She seems to have gone round the bend."

David glared at him. He did not take kindly to being called a berk.

He smiled weakly at Sarah. "Torchwood is, well, kind of like special ops. With aliens. We're the people who are supposed to stop things like this. To be fair, I'm new to the team. I sure as hell didn't sign up for this."

Sarah nodded, looking back and forth between them.

"Ok, just calm down, no need for name calling… So if you're supposed to stop this, why is it happening? Why did I just get dragged into something, that I have no part in?"

She rubbed her own wrists, looking around and investigating the shed they were in. "One thing's for sure, she announced. "We need to arm ourselves, and get out of here. I want to know why I'm suddenly involved. Whatever they are, they're dangerous."

She stopped, blinked a few times, then turned to the two men, her eyes bright with concern.

"Wait, how do I know that?"


	9. Death Trap

**Death Trap**

* * *

><p><strong>The TARDIS, A Dark Alley, Cardiff: June 2, 2011<strong>

Jack had been pacing all night. In spite of being immortal, he looked like hell. The Doctor stared at him in concern.

"Jack?"

He spun on his heel, eyes wild. "We're running out of time, Doctor. I can't just sit here while that thing tortures Gwen like this. I just wanted her to have a normal life, with a normal family. I didn't want her to have to go through what I go through every day, waking up alone, wondering which of the people you love will be stolen from you next. Now, in spite of everything, everyone she loves is in danger. If we can't. . . If we can't save them. . ."

The Doctor sighed. "Jack, who are we?"

Jack looked up at him, eyes bloodshot and full of confusion.

The Doctor continued, his brown, ancient eyes flashing brightly. "Look around. Look at all three of us standing here. Well, the two of you at least. You're wrong. You shouldn't exist. Two timeless little humans trapped in immortality. Fixed points in time. Well, and then there's me. Timeless. Classic. You're not alone, Jack. You have the three most improbable beings in existence here. And if anyone can prevent the end of existence, it's us."

Faith stirred from her restless slumber, rubbing her eyes. "He's got a point, Jack."

Jack smiled sadly at them both. "Thanks. But words will only get us so far, Doctor."

He pulled out his pistol, checking to make sure it is loaded. "We have to find her. Now."

The Doctor frowned at the gun. "What about the young Time Agent?"

Jack sighed. "Leave a note for her or something. She can catch up. Come on!"

Faith rolled her eyes and stood up slowly. She was expecting something like this.

The Doctor, exhaled in resignation. "Ok, Jack. But I'm warning you, we're gonna need her."

He walked over to the main console and recorded a message to play when Violet returned to the TARDIS. Then he beams at his immortal companions.

"Alright then! Allons-y!"

* * *

><p><strong>Torchwood Warehouse, Cardiff<strong>

When they arrived at the warehouse, the Doctor motioned to Faith and Jack to circle around back for a stealthy approach. Jack shook his head.

"To hell with that!"

He kicked open the front door, gun drawn. As the door swung open, they heard a whir and click. Before anyone could react, a set of razor sharp spikes swung from the ceiling. Five of them impaled Jack in the chest and lifted him up to the doorframe, imbedding in the softer metal. Jack died, pinned between metal and more metal.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Jack, you idiot."

Faith nodded in agreement. "That he is. We might want to get those spikes out of him before he revives."

It was too late. Jack gasped back to life, his eyes wide with shock and pain.

"Oww!" he cried. "This sucks!"

He began kicking and squirming, trying to get loose. The Doctor grinned at him.

"Get me down, you ass!" he shrieked.

"Only if you promise to do things my way next time," the Doctor replied coyly.

Jack sighed. "Fine, fine. I was wrong. You were right. Maybe we should check for traps before we. . . ow. . . touch anything else."

The Doctor nodded. "Faith, be careful. I'm going to drop him."

He trained the sonic screwdriver on Jack's torso. There was a hissing noise, and the metal melted slightly. Jack fell to the floor, once again dead.

Faith rolled her eyes again, sighing. "Does he really have to be a moron today?"

The Doctor patted her on the shoulder. "You know, Faith, that's what I love about Jack. He's so human. So impulsively stupid and passionate."

Faith chuckled. "Well, he wouldn't be Jack if he wasn't that way."

Jack revived and glared at the Doctor, gasping in pain. "Melting. . .my insides. . . that was a new one. Couldn't you have been a little bit gentler with me? Just because I can't break doesn't mean. . ."

He trailed off as he stared at the holes in his chest. There was blood all over his shirt. He grabbed the back of his coat and twisted it around, whimpering in dismay as he noticed a matching set of torn holes in the back.

The Doctor shook his head. _Only Jack._

"Guess you'll need to buy another coat."

Jack frowned. "No. This one was a present. I'm going to keep wearing it."

Faith smiled gently. "If you'll let me, I'll fix it later…"

"Thanks, Faith." He ruffled her hair affectionately.

"Now then," he continued, sweeping into the room, "whoever's responsible obviously knew we were coming. Doctor, can you use your screwdriver to disable any remaining traps? Faith, you go open up the computers and download anything that's been searched for in, say, the last ten hours."

The Doctor nodded. "And what are you going to do?"

"What I do best. Get ready for some action."

The Doctor eyed him sardonically. "Well, whatever you're doing, can you do it fast? The longer we wait, the more likely it is that someone will find us."

* * *

><p><strong>A Dark Alley, Cardiff<strong>

Violet wandered back to the TARDIS. As she entered, a hologram of the Doctor appeared.

He smiled warmly at her. "Hello again, Miss Time Agent. . . you know, one of these days, you should really tell me your name. It's so impolite of me to keep calling you that. A-ny-ways, to make a long, long story as short as possible, we rescued Jack, but now the Faction Paradox seems to have taken Gwen Cooper and a lot of other people. We went to get them back. I've rigged this message to transmit the location of the sonic screwdriver into your vortex manipulator. Use that to teleport to our location. We could use your help. Until later then. Thank you."

The transmission ended. Violet began hitting buttons to make the TARDIS go. The TARDIS refused to budge.

She rolled her eyes as she remembered her wristband. "Oh right, Vortex manipulator. Stupid girl."

She dematerialized, sighing.

* * *

><p><strong>Torchwood Warehouse, Cardiff<strong>

Faith cautiously walked into the Warehouse and over to the main computer. It was off, which concerned her slightly. After turning it on, she opened the browser and then the history…It was blank. She frowned.

"Jack. The history has been erased."

Jack spun on his heel and dashed over to her. "What? Are you sure?"

Faith nodded. "Positive."

"Damn it."

There wass a slight whoosh as the vortex opened in front of the desk. They all stood back in shock as Violet appeared, completely baffled.

"Ok where am I now?" she asked, relaxing as she eyed the Doctor. "Good! I found you. What do we do now?"

Jack pointed his gun at her. "Who in the hell are you?"

The Doctor stepped in front of Jack, pushing the barrel of the gun downwards.

"Hang on, there, Jack. This is that young Time Agent I was telling you about. She's here to help us."

Jack lowered his gun slowly, still giving Violet a wary eye, but a big signature grin.

"Sorry about that miss. I'm Captain Jack Harkness. Pleasure to meet you."

The Doctor glared at him. "Knock it off, Jack! And at a time like this, too."

Jack rolled his eyes. "You still don't let me say hello to anyone!"

"Sometimes, I think it's because he wants me all to himself," He whispered to Violet.

Faith put a hand over her face and shook her head. Seriously?

Violet sighed. Lines like that wouldn't work on her, not even if he were Adonis himself. "You must be Captain Harkness. I'm Agent Violet Conway, Time Agency. What is going on here?"

As she was neither a threat nor a flirt, Jack ignored her and turned back to Faith.

"So you say the data's gone. But we can probably still get it back. I know there's always a backup somewhere. . ."

He began fiddling, frowning in frustration. "Why the hell did they have to take the Techie? I'm terrible with computers that don't talk back to me."

The Doctor stepped forward. "May I?"

"Be my guest."

Faith slid out of the chair by the computer so as to let the men do what they needed. She walked up to Violet, offering her a hand.

"I'm Faith, nice to meet you."

Violet smiled at her. At least someone here was polite. "Hello Faith. I'm Violet. Can you tell me what's going on? The men here seem to have problems with doing that," she added, rolling her eyes.

This last remark got Jack's attention. He turned away from the Doctor and looked her over critically.

"Irish! Huh. Well, that's the Time Agency for you. You must have joined after I left, huh?"

The Doctor sighed. Jack gulped.

"Anyways, we're trying to track one of my operatives who has been possessed by some sort of monster. She has hostages. We need to recover them. But the data on our computer that might help us was wiped clean."

The Doctor looked up triumphantly. "Not anymore! We know exactly where they are. I only hope we're not too late."

Faith turned back to the Doctor, brown eyes wide. "What did you find?"

Before he can reply, Violet interrupted. "Ok, so we are trying to save your operative… Doctor, please don't forget that we need to save Mira as well eventually."

Faith sent Violet a sharp glare. "It's not just one operative. At least 5 people are missing. One person dead as of yesterday."

Jack sighed. "Typical Irish. Everything's crumbling around them and they're worried about one little person."

The Doctor chuckled. "Speak for yourself, Jackie boy."

Violet shot Jack a death glare. "Sorry to offend you by caring about who I work with. Do we know who took them?"

The Doctor pointed at the screen. "Looks like your prisoners are being held in this shack here. But oh. . . hang on. . . look! A Faction Paradox ship. And they've brought friends. How nice."

Violet gasped. "Faction Paradox? Isn't that the same people that have Mira? Is she there?"

The Doctor smiled grimly at her. "I'm not sure. She might be on the ship, though."

Jack nodded resolutely. "Well, let's go then. Faith, take Violet to the armory and give her something nice."

The Doctor shook his head. "No guns, Jack. You know I hate it when you bring guns."

Violet beamed at Jack, their feud forgotten. "A new gun? Doctor, you know I don't like it when you don't answer my questions, so guns it is."

The Doctor glared at them both. "No guns. This is Faction Paradox. Guns won't help you. Anything violent will turn against you. Live by the sonic blaster, die by the sonic blaster, I always say. No. We need to be logical about this. No. Guns. Is that clear?"

Jack crossed his arms defiantly. "And who put you in charge? Doctor, I'll follow you when I'm on your turf. But this is my turf. Guns it is."

Violet rolled her eyes. "Do not argue! We are trying to save people here! Doctor, explain to us more about this Faction Paradox. The more we know, the better decision we can make as a team to decide what weapons to use."

The Doctor began to protest when he made eye contact with Faith. She lifted an eyebrow.

"You haven't changed at all, Doctor."

The Doctor stared at Faith, confused. Suddenly, he remembered.

"Saint James Parish! Fifteenth Century! You're the girl who I. . . wow. You haven't changed at all yourself!"

He threw his arms around her in a tight embrace, which she returned gladly.

"I never got a chance to thank you."

Violet fumed quietly, rolling her eyes at this sentiment. "Ok. Ignore me again, why don't you?"

The Doctor smirks at her, no longer as annoyed with the humans. "Violet, you can have a gun. One. Gun. Same with you, Jack. But I'm warning you, you won't like what happens if you try to use them."

Jack grabbed his pistol. "Thank you, Doctor."

Violet pulled her gun out, but made sure that her sonic blaster was ready also.

The Doctor turned back to Faith and grinned mischievously at her, gesturing at Jack.

"You can thank me by not getting yourself killed on account of this lunatic."

"Hey!" shot back Jack, his blue eyes bright with mock offense.

Faith smiled at the two of them. "Sure thing."


	10. Faction Paradox

**Faction Paradox**

* * *

><p><strong>Cardiff Harbor, Inside A Shack: June 2, 2011<strong>

Sarah Jane Patterson, Rhys Williams, and David Smith were still discussing their best possible escape route when suddenly the ground started to shake. The three braced themselves as best they could, but the little shack wasn't built to withstand earthquakes.

Within moments, however, it was over.

Rhys looked about with wild eyes. "What in the fuck was that?"

"They're here," stated David mechanically.

Sarah Jane looked around, then looked at David. "Who are "they"? The aliens? Regardless, I think we need to get out of here."

* * *

><p><strong>Cardiff Harbor: Docks<strong>

When the team arrived, they found themselves face to face with a huge spaceship. The Doctor motioned to a nearby breakwall. They hid behind it, watching.

"What's the plan?" Jack whispered to the Doctor.

"Plan?" he replied incredulously. "Since when did you start believing in plans?"

Faith didn't speak. She had an answer, but knew Jack would rather her not share.

Violet glared at the men. "Will the two of you stop bickering like an old married couple?" She turned to the Doctor. "Since you are the only one that apparently knows stuff here, explain to us what the plan is."

He shushed her gently, motioning to the docks. As they watched, about ten guards took positions around the front of the ship. Gwen arrived, carrying Anwen. They boarded the ship.

Jack shakes his head. "I'll act as a decoy and try to take out as many as I can. The rest of you, try to get inside that ship. I don't need to stress that we want Gwen and her baby alive."

Faith nodded her agreement.

The Doctor sighed. "Ok, Violet. Guess that's the plan."

As the others slinked away, Jack leapt from the bushes, shooting wildly.

"Come get me, you bastards!"

He shot one guard.

"That's for taking over my body!"

He shot two more and kicked one in the stomach.

"That's for hurting Gwen!"

He pistol-whipped one across the face before shooting them at point-blank range.

"And that's for. . . well, for Cardiff, you sick fucks."

As he was about to get revenge for his coat, he noticed something strange. All the bullets he'd fired seemed to be coming out of the bodies. They formed into a massive floating cluster of grapeshot.

"What the. . . oh shit."

The cluster flew towards him, turning him into very handsome Swiss cheese.

The Doctor sighed. "Well that didn't last long. I told him, no guns. And he never listens."

He motioned to the others. "Come on."

Faith rolled her eyes. "At least they are distracted."

Violet stared in open shock and horror as Jack lay there, bleeding out. "What the hell!" she shrieks hysterically. "What just happened? He is dead and you guys are just standing like nothing is wrong? I see something wrong with that! And what did they do to the bullets?"

Faith smacked Violet. "Do you want to get caught? Shut up."

She stared at the girl, gobsmacked.

The Doctor placed a reassuring hand on her arm. "He'll be fine. Trust me. Jack does this a lot. As for the bullets, I told you. Faction Paradox is a cult of chaos-worshipers. They can bend matter to their will. Now come on. Jack will catch up."

The trio snuck around to the loading dock and slipped into the ship, one by one. The Doctor began to tinker with the sonic screwdriver.

"I'll sabotage some of their systems. You two find the baby. And don't let Gwen touch you."

Violet put her gun away and grabbed her sonic blaster. The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her, but said nothing.

Faith nodded to the Doctor. "Let's go, Violet."

Violet smiled at the girl, though something still confuses her. "Why can't we touch Gwen?"

Faith lead her around a corridor of the ship, eyes scanning for any sign of Gwen or Anwen.

"She's being possessed, and can pass on this possession though touch," she answered simply

Violet whistles. "Ok. . . will take care not to do that then."

After the two girls left, the Doctor continued trying to rewire the system. But before he was able to finish the process, he heard the surviving guards approaching. He hid behind some crates and watched helplessly as they carried Jack's body aboard the ship. The hatch closed behind them, and the earth started to shake.

"Oh, this is not good."

The spaceship lifted off the ground and headed for the atmosphere.

* * *

><p><strong>Cardiff Harbor, Docks<strong>

David stared at Sarah. "Where exactly d-do you think we sh-should – "

He was interrupted by the sound of gunfire. They ran out of the shack to find Jack Harkness crumpled on the ground, surrounded by dead humanoids in what appear to be black uniforms.

Sarah looked on in horror. "Oh my god, they're real. . ."

David sighed sadly. "They've got Jack. Hopefully he didn't come alone."

Rhys stared openly at the scene before them. "What is going on here?"

David's eyes grew wide."The Lurker approaches. The Lurker in the Doorway. Chaos will rain from the heavens, and all will fall before him. Iya! Iya!"

He sat on the ground, rocking.

Rhys sighed. "Right bloody useless, this one. What are you going on about, then?"

The ship suddenly took off, leaving the three of them alone on the docks.

Sarah Jane knelt down by David, checking on him, trying to comfort him a little.

"He…He's in some kind of trance," she whispered.

She looked up at Rhys, her own eyes wide, but she's merely scared.

"What now?"

* * *

><p><strong>Faction Paradox Ship, Lower Level —In Orbit Around Earth<strong>

Jack revived, confused and in a great deal of pain. He was in a narrow closet, and could feel machinery purring under him.

"Where the hell am I?" he groaned.

The Doctor swung open the closet door. "Aha! Found you! About time you woke up. Come on. We have work to do."

"Where are the others?"

"Trying to find Gwen and Anwen. Come on. We need to go help them."

They headed off through the ship.

* * *

><p><strong>Faction Paradox Ship, Corridor<strong>

Faith, who had fallen to the floor when the ship took off, stood shakily.

"The ship must have taken off," she mused.

Violet let go of the wall she was clinging desperately to. "Yeah. Must have. Where to?"

Faith thought for a moment. "I think we should head towards the cockpit."

Violet nodded in agreement. As the women headed for the cockpit, they noticed something strange. The passage seemed to be sloping down, even though they were heading upwards.

Violet stopped short, her green eyes wide. "Ok this is a weird feeling…"

Out of nowhere, a wave of water flooded down the hall, sweeping the women up and carrying them into a large chamber which rapidly filled.

Violet, who was not exactly a good swimmer, was fighting desperately to keep her head above water.

"What was that and can we get out of here?" she sputtered.

Faith dove under, opening her eyes, trying to find where the water was coming from. As she dove, Violet passed out in the water.

Faith jerked, turning back to see Violet sinking into the water.

"Damn!"

She turned back and looked for a button, a latch, something.

She found a big red button on the wall that said DON'T PUSH. Faith hesitated for a moment, then remembered: _This is a place of paradoxes. _

She swam over quickly and slapped the button. The water flowed out through a drain in the ceiling. She and the unconscious, now blue-in-the-face Violet collapsed on the floor.

Faith looks about from the now filled with air room. She saw Violet and stumbled over to her, checking her pulse. The woman was obviously not breathing.

Faith turned the unconscious woman on her side, making sure to open her mouth so water can pour out. Some water trickled out of Violet's mouth, but she was still not breathing. After water dripped out of the woman's mouth, Faith began to press on her chest, trying to get her diaphragm to work.

_If only I could breathe,_ thought the girl desperately.

Violet coughed and gasped, but remained unconscious.

_At least she's alive. _

Faith sighed in relief and then looked up for a place to put Violet so she'd be safe until she woke up. Seeing some crates, she stowed Violet behind them.

Meanwhile, the men had found themselves in the medical ward. Inside, they found Anwen, sound asleep.

Jack smiled gently at her. "Look. Poor thing doesn't even know we're in danger."

The Doctor echoed his smile. "Jack, keep an eye on the baby. I'm going to go find Violet and Faith."

He nodded. The Doctor meandered through the ship, eventually finding Faith and Violet in the chamber.

"What happened here?" he asked anxiously.

Faith looked up, water still dripping from her hair and clothing. She was exhausted from dragging the unconscious woman. "Hello Doctor. Nice seeing you again."

The Doctor looked at her, then at Violet. He knelt, removing her vortex manipulator and sticking it in his trenchcoat pocket.

"Jack's got Anwen. We need to find a way to get this thing back to Earth."

He grabbed her hand and led her towards the cockpit.

* * *

><p><strong>Faction Paradox Ship, Cockpit<strong>

When they arrived, guards in black grabbed them and dragged them before Gwen. She turned and smiled sickeningly at them.

"Doctor. Faith. So kind of you to join us. We're just about to enter the final phase of our plan, you see."

Faith smiled calmly. "Hey Gwen. What's going on?"

She laughed. When she replied, it was not in her own voice, but something deep, raspy, and humming, like an insect.

"You can drop the act, princess of man. I know you know I am not Gwen. I have many names. The Lurker in the Doorway, The Key and the Gate, The Beyond One. . ."

She turned to the Doctor.

"You are inconvenient and inconsequential. Crush him."

The Doctor frowned. "Well, that's not very polite. . ."

The guards threw him to the floor and aimed their guns at him. Before they could do anything, he vanished.

Faith lifted an eyebrow, unfazed by the disappearance of her ally.

"Nice to meet you, Lurker."

Gwen-not-Gwen smiled darkly at her. "Since you are going to die anyway, I will do you the favor of ripping away your sanity first."

She snapped her fingers. A projection of the rift appeared on the screen. It was opening.

"The future. . ." rasped the Lurker.

Tentacles reached out of the rift and ravaged the city. Everywhere they touched, whatever they touched, turned into a pool of black corruption.

"The past. . ."

The projection changed to Saint James Parish. St. Mary's church was torn apart by the same tentacles. The parish priest was running to escape with the blessed sacrament. He exploded into a mist of blood, the vessel falling to the ground.

"I will have them all. The age of man is over. I will prepare the way for Those Who Came Before."

Faith was fazed by the sight of the Tentacles. She touched her pocket where her cards were and calmed herself.

_It wants you to freak out, Faith. You must be calm._

Suddenly, Jack materialized in the cockpit, grabbed Faith, and teleported out.


	11. Yog Sothoth

**Yog-Sothoth**

* * *

><p><strong>Cardiff Harbor, Docks<strong>

As David continued to mumble to himself, Rhys turned to Sarah Jane.

"Right. So Torch-boy here's useless, and you're as confused as I am. I think it's time we do something about that."

He grabbed a particle gun from one of the dead guards, and threw another one to Sarah Jane.

"My wife and child are probably on that ship. We need to bring it down."

As he was speaking, the Doctor materialized in front of him.

"Put down those guns. I have a plan."

Rhys glared at him, eyes wide in shock. "And who the hell are you, then?"

"I'm the Doctor."

Jack and Faith materialized behind him.

Sarah just stared, pointing towards Jack.

"You…you were dead… And you people just appeared out of nowhere… Ok, someone needs to tell me what's going on… I work in a pizza place, why the hell am I being dragged into this?"

She looked down at the gun, tossing it safely to the side. "Good thing, I don't like guns…"

Faith looked up at the confused woman, smiling gently. "He does that sometimes. It's hard to explain."

Faith stared intently at the woman. Studying her. Trying to place her.

The Doctor also stared at Sarah Jane. She looked so familiar to him, but he couldn't place her either. He put an arm around her shoulder.

"You may just be a pizza girl. But I think that, if the Lurker chose you, you must be one important pizza girl. I promise, we'll get you out of this."

Jack turned to Faith. "Are you ok?"

Faith nodded. Inside her head she was demanding herself to calm down. She couldn't freak out in front of Jack again.

She gulped. "Where's Anwen? Violet?"

Rhys echoed her question. "Will someone tell me what the fuck is going on here? Jack, where's my family?"

Jack looked at him, his eyes full of compassion. "I'm so, so sorry Rhys. I couldn't save them. But don't worry. We'll get them back. . ."

David stood, blood trickling out of his nose, ears, and eye sockets. "Here. He's here. He's here."

As he fell once more to the ground, Jack rushed to grab him. He felt his pulse, then shook his head.

"He's dead."

Faith once again bowed her head. She knew David, not well, but enough that it would hurt that he was gone.

Jack lay David down and closed his eyes. He was now covered in the techie's blood, but did not even notice. He was standing to comfort Faith when the earth shook again.

The rift was torn open, and large tentacles descended from the heavens.

Jack stares at them in disbelief. "Shit! Doctor, we need to do something!"

Faith fell to her knees, her hands clasped and eyes closed. Her lips moved, but no sound came out.

The Doctor smiled grimly at Jack. "Jack, you and the Welshman here should try to kill that thing. Faith, you and I are going to figure out how to stop this."

Sarah Jane just stood there, her hands over her mouth….she had just been trying to comfort David, and he was dead… She leaned into the Doctor, an oddly familiar person, trying to register everything that had happened.

"I didn't even know aliens existed till now. I know nothing, compared to you lot."

Sarah glanced over to Rhys. "I'm sorry… I know we don't know each other, but I am. I've been there before. But all they…we can do is try to get them back.. I hope we can…"

Faith jumped up from her prayer stance and turned to the Doctor. She nodd, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Jack and Rhys fired their particle guns at the giant creature as it emerged from the rift. It appeared to be wounded, but unfazed.

"Doctor," yelled Jack, "it's not working! What the hell is this thing?"

"Yog-Sothoth!" replied the Doctor, holding the girls tightly. "A kind of god of chaos!"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Another god? Why does this always happen? Why can't we ever fight something easy?"

Faith looked to the men. "Jack, Rhys, This thing is hard to kill. It will only be satisfied by a sacrifice or servitude for all eternity. Be careful."

Rhys frowned. "Sacrifice? That's what we were for!"

Jack nodded. "Apparently so. So if we can't kill it, what do we do?"

As Sarah Jane stared up at the beast, a flicker of a memory crossed her mind.

_What….what was that…?_

She shook her head.

_I should get out of here while I can… I want to help, but I don't know how I can…._

Faith looked at Sarah. She reached out and grabbed her arm in a tight grip. Her eyes are bright with concern.

"Sarah! We need you! Don't run. Nowhere is safe right now. Please!"

Jack began to pace. Suddenly, he looked up.

"Ok. It wants a sacrifice? Then it'll leave?"

The Doctor glared at him. "Jack, don't. . ."

Jack ran towards the creature.

Rhys stares at him in shock. "What the fuck are you doing, Jack? Wait!"

He continued to sprint towards the creature.

Sarah Jane looked down at the little girl, and was taken aback by her eyes.

_So old…_

But she nodded, although she had a sudden urge to run after Jack, to stop him… to go in his place… Sarah put her hand over Faith's.

"I won't go anywhere then…Here with you is as safe as possible, I suppose…. I don't see how I'm needed."

She smiled weakly, still wondering what that memory was.

As Jack rushed the creature, the spaceship appeared in the sky, headed straight to the rift. It slammed into the creature, exploding. Jack stopped abruptly, staring at it in horror.

"No. No! No, no no!"

He fell to his knees.

Rhys' eyes were wide with disbelief. "Gwen? Oh, God no. Not like this. . ."

Faith looked up, hearing Gwen's name. She let go of Sarah and dashed over to where Jack fell. Sarah Jane watched the girl go, then realizing what had just happened, she stared up at the sky, a look of shock on her face.

"Oh no….no, that wasn't supposed to happen…"

Jack sobbed openly, his head to the concrete. "Gwen, what the hell were you thinking? Why? Why would you do this? WHY? I was supposed to protect you."

Rhys was in shock, swaying back and forth, his eyes blank. "This isn't real. This can't be real."

The Doctor grabbed Faith, shaking his head. "We have to close the rift, Faith. We can mourn them later."

The sight before Faith was blank. She didn't say anything to the Doctor. He turned to Sarah Jane.

"Keep an eye on them, will you?"

Sarah Jane blinked, and looked around, wondering when she ended up on the ground, and she realized the Doctor was standing near her. She got up, and wandered over to the men. She has to help, somehow.

Rhys stood up straight. "So that's it then. Bloody Torchwood."

He kicked Jack viciously in the kidney and began screaming at him. "You bastard! You fucking bastard! This is all your fault!"

Jack didn't fight back, just fell to his side and took the beating.

Seeing that Jack was motionless, Rhys fell to his knees, sobbing. Jack sat up and wrapped an arm around the younger man's shoulder, his face drenched in tears.

"I know. I know. I'm so sorry."

He pauses, staring at the pavement.

"That's it. I've lost everything now. Now all I have is life, and no one to share it with."

Rhys stared at him. "I always knew you fancied her. I wrote it up to insecurity, but. . . Jack?"

Jack looked at Rhys questioningly.

He gulped. "Why did she. . . why didn't you. . .?"

Jack sighed. "Because, she deserved better. She deserved you."

Rhys shook his head. "You're wrong. She always wanted you, Jack Harkness. She settled for me."


	12. All Just Resolution

**All Just Resolution  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Cardiff Docks<br>**

Faith and the Doctor continued to the shack. Working together, they managed to build a makeshift rift manipulator.

The Doctor smiled gently at the girl, his eyes tortured. "Will you do the honors?"

Faith stood at the edge of the Rift. She mechanically lifted her arm that has the manipulator attached to it and pointed it at the opened Rift. She pressed a button on the device. The rift began to close. There was a loud shriek, and the tentacles withdrew.

Sarah Jane smiles as the tentacles vanish. "They did it…. they stopped it."

She paused, sensing something wasn't quite right. "But for how long? It's not over yet… And I have no idea how I know that."

The Doctor patted Faith on the back. "Oh, bravo, Faith! I knew we could do it!"

Faith looked up mutely at the Doctor. Suddenly, she threw herself to her knees, crying out angrily.

"I hate this. I hate this. I hate this. Why them? Why them?"

Still distracted, no one noticed the escape pod hit the water.

Jack sighed at the Welshman. "Rhys, you're a good man. I could never give Gwen the life she needed. A normal life. A happy life. You did that."

Rhys frowned, his eyes bloodshot. "Did I?"

"You're a foolish man, you are," called a familiar voice. "I love you. I always have."

Everyone turned to look at Gwen as she approached, dripping. She appeared tired, but unscathed.

Before anyone else could react, Jack rushed her, throwing his arms around her.

"Thank you! Oh, thank you!"

The Doctor beamed at them, laughing with joy.

Faith looked up, hearing the laughter and wondering what the hell was going on. She jumped up and began to run.

Rhys looked relieved, but his relief quickly turned to frustration. "Gwen, who exactly were you talking to? Me, or Jack?"

Jack tensed and let go of her. He gestured to Rhys. "It's obvious, Rhys. She's yours."

Gwen shot Jack a pained look, but he wasn't paying attention.

The Doctor slaps her on the back. "Brilliant! Just brilliant! What did you do?"

Gwen kissed Rhys passionately on the lips. She turned to the others, smiling warmly.

"When the rift opened, the Lurker left my body. Then I put the ship in autopilot, grabbed Anwen and that girl who was unconscious, went to the escape pod, and now I'm here."

Gwen turned to Sarah Jane. "Hello. You're that girl I found earlier in the alley. Sirrian raiding party. What are you doing here?"

Sarah nodded, taking a deep breath. "I… I don't remember … I went to work, and you…well, someone appearing to be you, came in, looking for those two.. and helped me clean up. Then as we were leaving, she knocked me out, and I ended up here, tied to Rhys, and David…"

She tried not to tear up at the memory of David. Shaking her head, she looked around at everyone.

"How do we know it's really her this time?"

Jack grinned. "Well, there's really only one way to tell if it's her or not."

Rhys glared at him. He chuckled. "I meant scan her body for other lifeforms, dumbass."

He pressed a few buttons on his vortex manipulator. "She's clean. It's really her."

Faith jumped into Gwen's arms. "Do that again and I'll slap you so hard you won't know what hit you."

Gwen laughed. "Noted."

She lead the others over to the escape pod, and was about to take Anwen when she noticed a bulge under the child's shirt. "What. . .?"

"It's a Terra Bomb," announced a soft Welsh voice.

Time Agent Heather Mirabel Jamerson was hovering in the air, her vortex manipulator keeping her suspended. She lifted her shirt to reveal a similar bulge under her skin.

"Faction Paradox put these in us. If we set foot on Earth Soil, we will explode. I've tried to disable it. As far as I can tell, there's no way to disarm it without setting it off."

Faith bowed her head. She should have known that they would not get out of this unscathed.

Gwen and Rhys stared at the young woman in horror.

"But my baby. . ." protested Gwen

Rhys shook his head in dismay. "No. No. Gwen, don't let this happen."

Jack glared at the young time agent. "Lucian's sister. When did they get you? No, it doesn't matter. What are we going to do?"

She smirked. "I've already got that covered. Hang on."

She vanished. A few seconds later, everyone was transported to the Star Galleon.

* * *

><p><strong>The Star Galleon, Orbiting Earth: June 3, 2011<strong>

The transported team looked about in confusion. They seemed to be in the cabin of a Napoleonic-era wooden galleon. Mira picked up Anwen and cradles the baby in her arms.

Gwen stared openly. "Where are we?"

Sarah Jane sighed in wonder. "Something tells me we're not on Earth…"

Mira nodded. "Welcome to the Star Galleon , my spaceship. If it's alright with you, I'll keep Anwen here until we can figure out what to do about these bombs."

Gwen nodded, but Rhys glared at the young woman.

"I don't think so."

"What's wrong with you, Rhys?" Gwen hissed. "We don't have a choice."

Rhys rolled his eyes. "I won't leave my child alone with a. . . with a female version of Jack. No, I'm not losing both of you to these freaks. I'm staying."

"What?"

Rhys nodded. "Here. With our baby. You have important work to do. Don't argue. I'll make sure she's safe."

Gwen finally sighed. "All right, Rhys. I love you."

"I love you too." He turned to Jack. "You don't let anything happen to her, or I'll find a way to kill you, immortal or no."

Jack pulled him into a tight embrace. "I promise, if anything happens to her, I'll let you."

Faith, who had been silent until now, walked up to Mira. She looked up at the other woman.

"Can I hold her?"

Mira smiled at Faith and handed Anwen over. "Absolutely. And Rhys, you're welcome to stay. The rest of you, I'll set you down with the teleporter whenever you're ready."

Not wanting to take Mira's word for it, Sarah Jane wandered over to a porthole, looking out. "Yup….space… My life has just gotten…"

She looked back at Gwen. "What's past insane?"

The Doctor smiled at Sarah Jane. "Welcome to outer space! I know it's daunting at first, but you'll get used to it."

She smiled back, glad someone seemed to understand. "Thanks… First time out here, and all.. Once you get over the shock, it's beautiful… I wanted to be out here, when I was a kid…"

Sarah laughed softly, gazing in awe out of the port hole.

Gwen turned to Sarah Jane. "You know. . . if you really feel that way. . . we don't travel to space much but. . ."

She turned to Jack. He nodded enthusiastically.

"You're brave and think well under pressure. We could use someone like you on the team."

Sarah looked back at her, curious. "Me? Oh, I'm just a waitress…What could I possibly contribute to your…team? What do you mean, Torchwood?"

She glanced over at Jack, then back to Gwen. They nodded.

"Well, I'm already here, and involved…. Might as well! I'd love to be a part of it."

She smiled nervously, hoping she was making the right decision. Gwen smiled warmly back as Jack went and shook her hand.

"Welcome to the team. One thing, though: Do you know how to make coffee?"


	13. Torchwood Regroups

**Torchwood Regroups**

* * *

><p><strong>The Star Galleon, Orbiting Earth: June 3, 2011<strong>

Mira chuckled. "I'm sure you can figure out what to do with each other when you get back on terra firma."

She turned to Rhys. "Let me give you the grand tour."

"One second, luv." He ran to Gwen and threw his arms around her. "You take care, you hear? Don't let the laundry pile up too much just because I'm not there. And make sure you remember to eat. I love you."

She chuckled sadly, tears in her eyes. "I love you too, Rhys, you old mum."

Faith wandered off towards the back of the ship with Anwen.

Jack stared wistfully at Gwen and Rhys saying their goodbyes.

The Doctor put a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head. "You can't Jack. Not now."

He sighed. "I know. Especially now. Look at them, Doctor. Isn't it extraordinary?"

The Doctor smiled sadly, thinking about his own solitude. "It really is. All the beauty and wonders of the universe, Jack, and that's the one we can never really have. That's the price tag, I guess. For everything we get to see and do and experience. We might not ever get to grow old with the people we love. They'll still wither and die. And we will be stuck watching them fade. But you know what? We can still protect them, can't we?"

Jack stared at him, eyes brimming with tears. "Not always, Doctor. Not always."

He turned away and walked to the other side of the cabin. As he did so, Gwen turned away from Rhys and looked at him. She knew who he was thinking about, and it broke her heart.

"Jack?" she called softly, walking over to him. "What I said in the graveyard. . .I know you don't remember it. But I hope someday you do. You are a good man, Jack Harkness. The bravest and kindest man I've ever known. And I know, someday, you will find true happiness. Lasting happiness. I believe that. I've got to. The world is too dark and too cruel otherwise."

He stared at her, pain in his eyes. He couldn't believe he was hearing this from her. _Why now?_

"Gwen, I. . ."

Faith walked back over to the group and handed Anwen to Gwen. "You should probably hold her for a while," she said curtly. "She is your baby after all."

She turned to Jack, giving him a strange look. One that shut him up.

"Now is not the time, Jack," she hissed.

He smiled sadly at Faith. "I know. I know."

_The time was years ago._

He waved to Mira and Rhys. "Make sure they all get back safely. I'm going to go ahead and check for traps that might still be active."

"Don't check them with your torso this time!" the Doctor crowed.

Jack shot him a look and teleported out.

Faith shook her head as Jack vanished and walked over to Rhys. She smiled at the bigger man. "Take good care of yourself, Mr. Rhys, and Anwen too."

She looked to Mira and nodded her farewell. She then turned to the Doctor.

"It was good to see you again, Doctor."

The Doctor beamed at her. "And you, sweet, wonderful Faith. Don't let Jack talk you into anything stupid."

Sarah Jane just hung back a little. She looked around, a little uncomfortable, and saw the Doctor. She wondered again why he seemed so familiar, then shook her head and started to walk over to him.

_Oh, what am I thinking?_

Faith smiled and nodded as Sarah Jane walked over. The Doctor also smiled at the pizza girl as she approached.

"The same goes for you. And keep an eye on these crazy fools for me, will you?"

Sarah couldn't help but smile back, his grin seemed to be so infectious. "Of course, I'll do what I can… I.. I had a weird question, but I'm not sure if now is the right time…"

The Doctor pulled her into a hug. "You're right. It's not. But don't worry. We'll be seeing each other very soon. I know it."

Sarah blinked, a little surprised at the contact, but grinned bigger, returning the hug.

_He smells good, like a library._

Mira tapped her foot. "Ok, I need to meet with my time agents. The rest of you, I'm sending you back to Cardiff. See you around."

They vanished. Mira looked around.

"All right, Susie. You can come out now."

The Australian Time Agent, who had been listening behind the door the whole time, emerged, her long chestnut hair unkempt. She looked like she just teleported from a vacation resort.

"Some stand in you are! I go away for a damn weeks holiday and return to find you're trying to destroy the universe! I mean, you could have at least asked me to help out ya know! Now take Violet for me."

Mira sighed. "Yes, yes. But do remember, you are both my subordinates. And I wasn't trying to destroy the universe, Susie. That was Faction Paradox. It so wasn't my fault."

She looked around. "Violet must still be asleep. Almost drowned, you know. Still, I suppose we can fill her in. It's time we went and paid a visit to Captain Hart."

"Sure. Whatever. Where is he and how soon can I kill him?"

Mira sighed. "We can't kill him. He volunteered to turn himself in. We just have to find him. Last I heard, he was supposed to meet us in London, 2009. In the place the Time Agency will be built."

* * *

><p><strong>Torchwood Warehouse, Cardiff: June 3, 2011<strong>

As Jack entered the Warehouse, he saw a familiar man perched on Faith's desk. They pulled guns on each other at the same time.

"I thought I told you never to come back here."

John Hart smiled at him, pretending to be hurt. "Aww, is that any way to treat an old flame? Come on. I heard you needed a new lackey. Didn't think you'd stoop to a nine year old."

"Get out," hissed Jack. He'd had enough adventure for one week.

"My, my. You did get testy without your Eye Candy. Well, we'll have to see about that."

"NOW."

John put down his gun and raised his hands. "All right, all right. I'm going. Geeze."

He teleported out as Faith, Sarah Jane, and Gwen teleported in.

Faith looked up at Jack, his gun raised still. "What is it Jack?"

He lowers his gun. "It's nothing."

Looking around and taking everything in, Sarah Jane breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, at least it seems quiet here. . ."

She smiled at Faith. She felt like they have a common bond, but why, she wasn't sure.

Faith shrugged and walked over to her desk. Something is off. She looked on her desk. The paper doll of Ianto Jones she had been playing with had been moved from where it was with the others to the center of her desk.

She picked it up. "And how did you get here?"

Gwen stared at her in concern. "What is it, Faith? What's wrong?"

Jack looked down at the doll in her hands, his face paling. "Oh, you bastard."

Faith looked back at Jack., the Ianto doll still in her hands. "Someone was here, right Jack?"

Gwen also stared at Jack, her eyes narrowed. "It was him, wasn't it? It was John."

Jack nodded slowly.

"What did he want?"

"I'm not sure."

Faith sat down on the ground, pulling her deck out of her pocket and placed the paper Ianto on the floor.

"Maybe these can tell us what he was doing here."

She drew the first card. It is shockingly the _King of Guns _with an image of Ianto on it.

"Someone, a man, is attempting to bring balance and harmony. Sadly he is vain. He may wish to be self-sacrificing, but he is doing exactly the opposite."

Jack started at the image of Ianto. He was not expecting to see his dead friend and lover so much in one day.

Faith pulled another card. This time it was _The World _with the image of a Time Agent on it.

"It is time to start over. Oneness is everything. What you have been looking for…is right in front of you."

Faith pulled out one last card…and nearly gasped as it was _The Hanged Man_ with the image of Ianto once again appearing.

"What is this? Self Sacrifice is crucial to end a great evil. Time to look with a new perspective. What you may have lost…."

She looked up at Jack and then to Gwen.

" …May not be lost at all…"

Jack and Gwen stared at the young clairvoyant in shock. What could this mean? Faith's cards had never been wrong before, but. . .

Sarah knelt down, looking at the cards.

"So young, yet so old," She whispered, staring at them.

She looked at Faith cautiously. "I'm going to assume he's someone who was lost…"

She looked between the three of them, then stood up awkwardly. "I'll…. I'll go make coffee, or something…"

Jack's eyes were tortured as he looked at the girl. "Faith?"

Faith stared intently at Jack. "I'm sorry."

"Draw them again."

He glared intently at Faith as she hesitated. "Shuffle the damn cards and draw them again!"

Faith was frightened by the look on Jack's face and for once did not argue. She shuffled and drew again.

The first three cards were the same, in the same order: _The King of Guns, The World and The Hanged Man_. To be positive on her reading she pulled one last card.

She held it up to her face and froze.

"What?" asked Jack. "What is it? Faith?"

Faith slowly lowered the card. It was an image of _The Sun_ with Faith herself on the card.

"A time of peace and safety will come afterwards. All will be right with the world. The battle is over, innocence is restored, and…. the Hero gets the Girl."

Jack and Gwen stared at Faith. Then at each other.

"What the. . . which hero?" whispered Gwen.

"Which girl?" whispered Jack.


End file.
